


Commitment

by Ressick



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Angst, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-18
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2017-12-20 13:43:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 50,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/887942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ressick/pseuds/Ressick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arizona stays in Africa for the full three years of the Carter-Madison grant. How does this affect her, Callie, and the rest of the Seattle Grace family? With lots of Teddy, Alex, April, and Addison.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am not an expert in, well, anything legally, practically, or medically relevant to this story, so please forgive any errors you might encounter – my information comes from amazing sources like Google and Wikipedia. I wrote the bare bones of Commitment in a twelve-hour overnight writing marathon in September, so it’s something I’m very fond of; please be kind with your hate mail. It starts off canon, and veers into my madness after the events of 7x09. Some events (and even lines) will be vaguely recognizable from canon, but nothing is set in stone and I’ve definitely fiddled with timelines. A lot. Mwahahaha. Hold on, ye scurvy dogs, thar be angst ahead! Don’t abandon ship!

**PROLOGUE**

 

Quantum physicists tell us about the possibility of parallel universes.  That two universes might be exactly the same except for one butterfly flapping its wings on a particular Tuesday.  Or maybe one where a World War went differently, or England spoke French.  In some of those different universes, the changes were more subtle than a war and more profound than a butterfly.

 

In one universe, Arizona Robbins is named in honor of her beloved, alive grandfather, who saved _eighteen_ men at Pearl Harbor before being pulled from the warm waters of the Pacific barely breathing.  With his grandfather alive and encouraging him, Tim Robbins follows his dream.  After college, he serves his country by joining the Army Corps of Engineers and lives until the age of eighty five.  With both his best friends alive, Nick deals with his cancer much earlier, and survives.  The two men are enthusiastic and doting uncles to Arizona and Callie’s children.

 

In another, Arizona doesn’t take the position at Seattle Grace, but rather goes to Shriner’s in Massachusetts.  She meets Callie Torres at a pediatric orthopedics conference two years later.

 

In another, Callie Torres and Owen Hunt married a year before Arizona Robbins set foot in Ellis Grey’s Seattle Grace and have three children together.  The two women become unlikely friends, and eventually lovers.  Callie divorces her husband, and Arizona becomes an adoring stepmother to three tiny humans.

 

In another, Erica Hahn doesn’t disappear into a parking lot after fighting with her first girlfriend.  They continue their argument for much of the next month, both out of work and in the halls of Seattle Grace, while having angry sex at every opportunity.  Erica does end up splitting with Callie, but they work hard to regain their friendship, and it is Erica that pushes Callie at Arizona Robbins several months later.  When Arizona wins the Carter-Madison, Erica calls Callie out on her whining.  Arizona and Callie talk after Erica locks them in an on-call room for three hours, and amicably split, though both are heart broken.  Erica keeps Callie from any embarrassing drunken sorbet episodes, and Arizona returns in time for Christmas, running her clinic from Seattle Grace.  Erica is a bridesmaid at their wedding a year later.

 

In another, Arizona breaks down after being told Callie is pregnant with Mark’s child.  She returns to Malawi and doesn’t run into Callie again until ten years later, when they are both nominated for a pediatric medicine award.  Still in love, and both single, they fall into bed together.  Mark having died in a plane crash shortly before Sofia turned two, Callie is free to move her and Sofia across the country and spends the next year wooing her ex girlfriend before they reunite permanently.

 

In another, Gary Clark shoots Callie in the lower abdomen once she hands him the bandages.  Extensive damage to her uterus requires an emergency hysterectomy amongst other surgeries.  Three years later, Callie and Arizona adopt their first child.

 

In another, Arizona doesn’t win the Carter-Madison.  Instead, she wins the Harper Avery five years after Wallace’s death for her work on short-gut syndrome.  The next year, Callie wins it for her artificial cartilage.  They bring their two small children to both award ceremonies, and married after the people of Washington State voted to legalize gay marriage.

 

In another, despite her heartbreak, Arizona stays in Malawi until her commitment is complete.  This is the story of that universe.

 

X-X-X-X

 

**CHAPTER 1**

 

Callie Torres awoke with a start and a fervent need to get to the toilet.  Jumping up from Mark’s couch, where she’d been living for several weeks, she high-tailed it into the bathroom.  Luckily the seat was up, which made vomiting easier.

 

Callie Torres, unless she was forced to speak in public, almost never threw up.  She had none of the other symptoms of a stomach flu, she hadn’t had any alcohol since that night at Joe’s… 

 

 _Shit._   Scrambling up from the bathroom floor, she flushed the toilet and quickly cleaned her teeth.  She stumbled into the living room and grabbed her phone.  With a quick flip through her contact list, she dialed, even as tears began to streak down her face, “Addie?  I need you.”

 

Luckily it was her day off.  And Addison’s as well.  Six hours later, Addison dragged her to the Archfield, and shoved Callie into her suite’s bathroom with a home pregnancy test.

 

An hour later, the tears hadn’t stopped, though Callie had made her way from the bathroom to the oversized bed. Curled up into a ball, she was uncharacteristically silent, Addison fearfully watching her.

 

“Do you want to go to the clinic tomorrow?” was the first, quiet inquiry.

 

Callie shook her head.  She didn’t want Mark’s baby, she wanted Arizona’s.  She’d always desired kids, planned to have them, but she’d only been able to picture them in her mind once she was with Arizona.  And despite how many friends she’d brought to Planned Parenthood over the years, often even paying, she couldn’t manage to avail herself of that option. 

 

Her faint, desperate hope of Arizona maybe returning and eventually rebuilding their relationship died in the moment she came to the conclusion her ex would never forgive her for not only sleeping with Mark – the one man Arizona had always been uncomfortable around – but for also a lifetime shared with Mark even if he was only a part-time father.  And after Sloan Riley, Mark would never settle for being a part-time parent.  It was then that Callie truly broke down.  She had a baby on the way, but with an immature friend instead of with the love of her life.  The tears quickened, and sobs wracked her body. 

 

Addison, who had been perched next to her on the bed, wrapped Callie in her arms as her friend disintegrated before her eyes.  Mentally, Addison’s mind was whirling.  As soon as Callie drifted off into an emotionally exhausted sleep, Addison made several phone calls, clearing her schedule for the next week.  Callie couldn’t stay on Mark’s couch.  She’d find her best friend somewhere to live, and help her cope.

 

X-X-X-X

 

Arizona Robbins stared at her computer screen.  She was temporarily in Lilongwe, coordinating the building of her clinic while also diving into surgeries at the city’s main hospital.  The medicine was phenomenal, and her fellow surgeons were fascinated by the cutting edge techniques she was sharing with them.  She could see the difference she was already making, and that was about all that kept the tears at bay during the day.  Arizona Robbins was a strong woman.  A good man in a storm, as she was raised to be, as she had once promised Carlos Torres she was.  But she fell apart every night, sobbing herself to sleep when she even could manage to rest.  The storm swirling around in her personal life had battered her into a pulp.

 

The email she was currently reading was not helping with her self-control.  Emails, mostly to Teddy, were about all that kept her afloat – a mix of gossip, personal chat, medical cases (including informal consults), all much like their hurried chats over a cup of coffee or glass of wine – interspersed with the occasional very professional-yet-fond emails from Miranda Bailey.  Having moved so often as a child, she rarely fostered ties to places she had previously lived.  But Seattle had been different.  Seattle had been _home_ , her friends ones she had expected to keep for a long time.

 

Teddy’s email was apologetic.  She tried to soften the blow with _“We all got really really drunk.  Cristina makes this drink, it’s blue, and I think I forgot a year of med school because of it, and I didn’t even start off with tequila like Callie.”_   But that couldn’t take away from _“Callie and Mark ended up in bed together.  She doesn’t seem happy about it, at all.”_

 

With silent tears running down her face, Arizona switched to another browser tab.  She was logged into the airline’s site, everything waiting on her credit card information to book the trip from Lilongwe to Sea-Tac, with many layovers in between.  Shaking her head, she logged out of the site and closed the tab.

 

She would stay.  There was nothing for her to go back for anyway, now.  She had made a commitment – to the Carter-Madison committee, to the doctors, nurses, and orderlies she’d already hired, and most importantly to the children of Malawi.  She had made a commitment she would honor.  Even as inside, she broke.

 

X-X-X-X

 

Work kept going after Arizona left Callie in an airport.  Surgeries couldn’t be postponed so she could cry in a supply closet.  And then Stark chopped off a leg she could have saved, and Callie found herself dragged into the drama.  She’d ended up in a discussion/argument with the arrogant little man outside the patient waiting room, somehow, and the girl’s parents had heard everything – her assertion that he should have waited because she could have saved the leg, Stark’s assertion as the “senior attending” that he was right, and even Karev’s gruff, profanity laden statement that she knew more about bones than Temperance Brennan and that he’d seen her rebuild worse.  Besides the fact that apparently Alex Karev watched TV, she’d noticed the horrified parents listening in.

 

And then she’d been named as a witness for them in their lawsuit.  And after they’d given their statements, so had the other nurses and doctors in the OR.  Great.  Just what she needed.  But she was honest and open with the lawyers – she most likely could have saved the leg, or at least most of it.  It would have required massive physical therapy and recovery time, but the girl had been a soccer star and was used to working hard.

 

She took pity on Karev after Stark blackballed him from the peds floor, calling him for every even vaguely-related peds case she acquired, as did most of the other attendings.  While a doctor getting sued, and other doctors being called to testify against him, was a big deal and would generally have the doctors siding with the sued one on principal, unnecessarily amputating a child’s limb, after a GSW when shootings were still a sensitive subject at Seattle Grace, on top of Stark’s general behavior and angry temper tantrums on the peds floor, led to most of the employees siding with Callie and Alex.  The peds nurses, residents, and lesser attendings called in consults for second opinions regularly to double-check Stark’s already mediocre work.  And the hospital moved on even as the lawsuit cranked through the legal system like molasses in January as the in-house counsel looked for a contract loophole that would let them get rid of Stark.

 

Except for April Kepner.  Who had been working rather closely with Stark, and had been horrified when the news spread around the hospital.

 

Addison slowly lowered Callie’s coffee intake, citing numerous studies regarding caffeine and various birth defects.  By the time Callie was down to one cup of regular coffee a day, plus as much decaf as she could drink, the headaches started to appear.  She wasn’t sure if they were stress or grief or caffeine related, but they hurt.  April found her in late December studying an x-ray for an upcoming surgery. 

 

“Doctor Torres?”  It was unfortunate the woman’s voice was a bit grating when Callie had a headache, but despite her pep, April was a solid surgeon.  Callie could respect that even when she wanted to muzzle her.

 

“Yes, Kepner?  And can you keep it down?  I have a headache,” Callie replied.

 

“Umm… I was wondering if I could be on your service for awhile.  Maybe long-term?”

 

Callie turned and stared.  Usually, residents avoided her service, especially on a long-term basis.  Avoided carpentry.  There was no glory in ortho, she had realized long ago.  Her own ex-husband had used her as a way to avoid people he was angry at, and even Karev was only really interested in the peds procedures.  Which she understood, and was glad to indulge him.  He was good with the kids, and any peds person who understood her specialty better was a positive given the amazing ways kids tended to injure themselves.  Kepner had, as part of her residency at Seattle Grace, spent a particularly boring rotation helping Callie with hip replacements and cleanly-broken bones, and never looked back.  “Why?” 

 

“Umm… well.”  The younger woman turned slightly red.  God, she hoped Kepner wasn’t coming out and needed advice or something. 

 

“Speak up or get out, Kepner.  Choice is yours.  Why do you want to hang around the carpenter?”

 

“I uhhh… I’ve studied the amputation case of Doctor Stark’s.  And watched some of your surgeries lately.  And I realized I don’t know enough about ortho.  And it was…” April trailed off as she watched Callie stiffen at the mention of the amputation.  “I’m sorry!  I’m sorry!  Just… it’s been really fascinating.  And I want to learn more!” she rushed out her explanation.

 

Callie stared at her coworker some more.  “I thought you were into peds, or trauma, or something.”

 

April smiled a little.  “I thought I was too.”

 

Callie grinned.  “Okay.  Well, I’ll talk to someone about getting you assigned to my service until you tell me otherwise.  Meanwhile, you busy today?”  April shook her head.  “So… what can you tell me about this x-ray?”

 

April’s skills as a surgeon easily adapted to ortho, and her farm-raised body had the hidden strength, built while hauling seed and wrestling pigs, to set hips and break bones.  Callie, grateful for both a protégé and a new friend, jumped into mentoring the younger woman with both feet.

 

X-X-X-X

 

In mid-January, Arizona received an email from Alex Karev, of all people.

 

_Hey Robbins –_

_Look, this new department head they brought in to Peds is a total jackass.  He’s horrible with the kids, ignores the parents, thinks he’s god’s gift to medicine.  Two weeks ago there was a school shooting, and we got this kid with a GSW and major damage to her leg.  Stark had one guy stabilizing the GSW and he was going to cut off the leg.  I’m not Ortho, and it_ was _bad, but I knew it was salvageable, especially if I could get Torres in there.  And he was just going to cut it off.  I spoke up, loudly, and the guy doing the GSW backed me up that the kid was stable enough for reconstruction work.  So I got a nurse to page Ortho, but she didn’t put a 911 on it, and Torres had her own patient so she got there after it was too late for the leg, but soon enough that she could see it was an unnecessary amputation._

 

_And that’s what the lawsuit the parents are bringing will say.  I almost body-blocked him, but I wasn’t sure how long I could hold him off before Torres arrived.  Anyway, thanks to Stark getting his ass sued and because I stood up for the patient, he’s kicked me off the peds floor.  A bunch of the other attendings are sneaking me in on peds cases if they can, but it’s not going to be enough.  I need to switch hospitals if I want to really concentrate on peds.  Do you have any suggestions on where will take me this far into residency?_

 

Arizona smiled a little, the honest gesture unfamiliar outside of the reassuring surgeon-smiles she bestowed on patients and parents.  It was a horrible situation, but she knew Karev was great at pediatrics, was glad he’d finally figured out it was his field, and there were several programs she could think of that would take him, even as rough around the edges as he was.  Yet… she had imagined her clinic as a teaching hospital.  And the overall plan included accepting residents once they were settled.  She had an email to the Carter-Madison people, and one to the Chief at Seattle Grace, to write.

 

The Chief, desperate for some good press after the amputation story hit the local news when the irate parents talked, agreed to let her oversee the rest of Karev’s residency.  He would have to fly back for his boards, but he would be in Malawi as a representative of Seattle Grace for the last year-and-a-bit before his boards and the first year of the fellowship she would surely give him – and had been assured would be recognized at Seattle Grace as well should they decide to return there when her commitment was finished.  It was a better result than she could have ever hoped for.

 

A month later found her at the Lilongwe airport as Alex Karev stepped off the gangway.  He gave her that smirking grin she had figured out covered for real pleasure, and she grabbed his carry-on, unexpectedly hugging him in the process. 

 

“Hey, Robbins,” he said, letting her lead him towards baggage claim.

 

“Karev, glad to see you.  C’mon, I’ve got the spare bed all set up for you,” Arizona smiled, honest and open.  Her first real taste of Seattle – her favored protégé – was in Lilongwe, and it didn’t hurt.  It made her happy, in fact, to see the resident she thought was the future of peds.  And she was bringing him in to be a part of her dream.  Others hadn’t wanted a part in her dream – she stomped that thought down inside before she pictured Calliope’s face as she had walked away in Sea-Tac – but Alex Karev jumped at the chance she offered him.

 

“I’m living with you?”  His eyes were surprised, but he quickly covered it.

 

“Yeah, space is tight and funding nonexistent for extra rooms at the hotel.  So you’ll have to tough it out for awhile.  I promise I pick up my towels.  Once the clinic is actually built, you can have your own room, but you’ll still have to share living space.  I didn’t account for residents for another couple of years,” she replied, dimples breaking out for the first time since before Sea-Tac.  It was _good_ to see Karev.  He had such potential, and her patients could really use his skills.

 

“Sounds fine,” he gruffed.  “So the clinic is being built?”

 

“They broke ground not long after I got here, but there’s still time before they’re done.  And as my first resident, you also get to be my assistant.  More paperwork, sorry, but also the best surgeries!  Plus, I just got the extra funding to build a school near the clinic, for the patients and their families.  The refugee situation in Malawi means it’ll be the first schooling a lot of these kids will have had.  You get to help me hire teachers.  I hope you can pick up languages quickly.  Chichewa is not an easy language for me, and our staff translators aren’t always available,” she grabbed the second large suitcase he’d pulled from the conveyor belt.  “This it?”  At his nod, she started to lead him towards the parking lot and the battered truck she’d bought for the clinic’s use.

 

“I was reading about that.  Lot of refugees from other countries?”  He’d read a good deal about Malawi since Robbins’ offer came in his email and was confirmed by the Chief.  He read up on the gender violence and anti-gay sentiment in his new country, and had already decided to stick to Robbins like glue. 

 

“Unfortunately.  And we’ll get a lot of patients referred from the Red Cross refugee camps, stuff they can’t handle.  It’s already been arranged – ambulances, some funding help, that kind of thing.  Otherwise they’d either be out of luck or trying to medivac the kid to a city hospital, but that’s pretty hard to manage on their budget.”  She threw his suitcase in the back of the old Ford, and unlocked the door.  “C’mon, the hotel’s about a half hour away, we’ll get you settled, and then you can see where we’re working out of temporarily.  It’s an older hospital, not quite up to… well, it sucks, but I’m doing what I can until the clinic’s finished.  Kids can’t wait.”  She unlocked his door and climbed into the driver’s seat.  “Buckle up.  Driving through town can be… interesting.”

 

Though Karev’s language skills were more along her level – stumbling but enthusiastic – he adapted quickly to the work they were doing.  Even with a language barrier sometimes in place, he bonded well with the kids, and she worked with him to smooth the edges of his behavior around the parents.

 

The clinic was completed by mid-March, and the school soon after, so they moved outside the city to their new location in rural Malawi, a few hundred miles from the border and midway between the Red Cross refugee camps and the nearest city, on the edge of a moderately sized farming village.  Housing for the staff was attached to the clinic, and Arizona and Alex decided to continue sharing a small two bedroom apartment, the one set aside in the plans for the permanent clinic director’s family. 

 

Like an overprotective brother, Alex didn’t leave Arizona alone except to go to the bathroom or when they were safe in their locked apartment.  But his surgical skills flourished under her tutelage, and for awhile they were content, functioning, if not happy.  He jumped into his new residency with abandon, even the overwhelming amount of paperwork he helped Arizona with, and kept his mentor going by making sure she ate regular meals and drank enough water, which she tended to forget between work and ongoing grief.

 

When the reality of her breakup with Callie overwhelmed her six months to the day after their fight at Sea-Tac, Alex tucked her into bed, and told everyone that she was sick.  That night he made dinner and set a roll of toilet paper by her bedside in lieu of tissues.

 

X-X-X-X

 

Callie sighted her prey down the hall.  With fluid movements, she grabbed the other surgeon’s arm and forcefully directed them into the nearest on-call room.

 

“Hey, Lexie, we need to talk,” she said, shutting and locking the door behind them.  At the three month mark, she was just starting to show, and though Mark had been sworn to secrecy until out of the first trimester, the plastic surgeon was practically strutting in the halls.

 

“Sure, Callie,” the younger woman replied.  The two had been friends, once, but the stress on their friendship from Lexie’s split with Mark had kept them apart since.

 

“Look, it was a mistake, but I got really drunk one night after… after Arizona left.”  Lexie nodded.  The stories of that night of drinking at Joe’s had made their rounds of the hospital.  April had tended a smashed Bailey and Altman’s drunkenness had been hysterical according to Meredith.  “And I ended up sleeping with Mark.”

 

Callie let the other woman absorb her statement.  “And I’m sorry, but I got knocked up.  I hit the three month mark yesterday, and I wanted to come clean with you before you heard it from a nurse or something.  Mark and I are not together, in fact, I’m kind of barely speaking to him right now, but you deserved to hear it from the source.  I’m sorry.  I’m so, so sorry.”

 

Lexie pulled her arms around her torso, and nodded.  “I’m not with Mark, Callie, it’s fine,” she said.

 

“Yeah, I know.  But you want to be.  Which, honestly, I would advise against.  He’s being a douche right now.  I just… you’re a good friend, Lexie, and I don’t want this to screw us up.”  She thought of the mornings when she’d cook breakfast for all four of them, a strange little almost-family.  Callie liked the younger woman, thought she was great for Mark, even if Mark wasn’t the best for her.

 

The other woman nodded, clearly still in a state of shock.  She raised her head, meeting Callie’s gaze.  “Why’d you keep it?  If you’re not with Mark, if you don’t want to raise a kid with him?”  The question was honestly curious, not accusing.

 

Callie laughed bitterly.  “I’ve brought more friends to Planned Parenthood than I want to think about.  I’ve held their hands and never judged and sometimes even paid for it.  I believe in a woman’s right to choose.  But it was never a choice for me.  Too many years of Catholic school or something.  I mean, I might be single, but I’m not… I’ve got the money as an attending, and the support system, and I know this kills any chance of Arizona ever forgiving me for… a lot of things, if she ever comes back.”  Callie let out a little, involuntary sob at that.  “But I can support a baby, I like kids, I wanted my own - though not this way, and so far it’s healthy, so, here I am.  Stuck with Mark as the baby daddy for the next eighteen years or so.”

 

Lexie nodded.  It was a personal choice, and she could understand, if not agree, with Callie’s position.  “It’s okay, Callie.  And... well, I’m not sure if congratulations are in order, but I know you’ll be a great mom.”  She smiled a little stiffly, obviously processing.  “And I think we’ll be okay.”

 

“Thanks, Little Grey,” Callie smiled back sadly.

 

X-X-X-X

 

Two weeks after spending the day in bed, crying, Arizona oversaw the transfer of several patients from a local orphanage to her clinic.  The battered bus was full of a mix of children needing everything from basic inoculations to major surgery, as well as a handful of orphanage workers.  As the workers and her own staff slowly unloaded the passengers onto stretchers or wheelchairs, she watched closely as Alex took lead on organizing everyone.  She found her attention drawn to a screaming baby, no more than six months old.  The orphanage worker rocked the little girl to soothe her, but wore the long-suffering look of an adult who knew what they were doing was fruitless in the face of a baby’s unhappiness.

 

Arizona stepped over to her, offering with a gesture to take the little one into her arms.  With a relieved sigh, the worker handed the girl over, along with the paperwork she carried on the child’s behalf, before returning to the bus to help another of her charges.

 

“Hello, little one,” Arizona soothed, as the girl settled into her arms.  Tears continued to stream down her tiny face, but her sobs quieted in Arizona’s embrace.  Glancing down quickly at the paperwork, she smiled brightly - honestly - at the little girl, the action unfamiliar after so long, “Moni, Zola.  It’s very nice to meet you.”  With the baby relaxing in her arms, she stepped back to continue monitoring the rest of the activity around them. 

 

She’d sent Karev to the orphanage a few days beforehand, to do as much organizing as possible, and offer up preliminary diagnoses to help with setting up what amounted to triage at the clinic.  Amongst the paperwork in her hand, Arizona saw that Alex thought Zola might have spina bifida.  She cursed internally – they had just received their first shipment of latex-free supplies, two months behind schedule, but hadn’t everything needed quite yet to hopefully avoid what was a common allergic reaction in children with the condition.  She’d have to call and try to rush the next order.

 

“Karev!” she called, nodding him over to her side.

 

“Yeah, boss?” he grunted, a toddler quite happily in his arms and playing with his stethoscope.

 

“You set up any latex-free rooms for these kids?”

 

“Oh, for Zola, you mean?  Yeah, but we’re gonna need more supplies soon,” he grinned at the little girl curled in Arizona’s embrace.  “She’s the highest priority for latex-free at the moment.  Any rashes on her from my gloves?  She was fine while I was there…”

 

“Not that I’m noticing, but let’s not risk it,” Arizona grinned, pleased at her protégé’s comprehensive work and attention to detail.  Latex-free hospital rooms for spina bifida patients were the norm on her peds floor in Seattle, due to how common the allergy was, and she was pleased to see he’d taken that instruction to heart.

 

One of the orphanage workers, a small child in his arms, stopped by Arizona as she rocked Zola, “That baby, she’s always crying.  I’ve never seen her stop like that.”  He grinned, and then followed the other workers and patients into the clinic.

 

“Huh.  Guess you like me, huh, big girl?”  Arizona said, getting a gummy smile in return.  “Well, I like you too.”

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter fought me every step of the way, which was surprising. Also, I have never been to Seattle. Please forgive any egregious errors in the name of my ignorance and/or creativity, whichever works for you.

Between consults, Callie checked her email and swore softly.

"Callie?" April asked from her side.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," Callie knew her protégé wasn't terribly fond of profanity and as she didn't want her child's first words to be curses, she tried to curb her sailor's mouth as much as possible.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that my supposed best friend-slash-birth coach-slash-baby daddy can't behave," she growled. Spotting Mark at the nurses station, flirting lightly with a drug rep, she stomped over to him, having to grab April's arm briefly to rebalance herself. Five months into her pregnancy, her center of gravity seemed to shift every day. "Sloan! Leave her!" she glared. Dragging him off to the side, April loitering uncomfortably behind her, Callie slapped his chest to get his attention off the drug reps' assets. "Pay attention! You are fired as my birthing coach!"

"Wait, what?! I'm the father, that's my job!"

"I got an email from the teacher. Women have complained you either leered at them repeatedly or actually hit on them. You can't go back."

"So what? We'll find another class."

"Mark! This is the best one in the city! And they are willing to work around us possibly missing classes because of surgery! We were taking it early so we could make up whatever we missed before my due date! I'm not finding another class! You can read a book or something, because two classes in  _your_  behavior got  _you_  kicked out, not me!"

"Who the hell are you going to bring with you, then? Virgin Mary over there?" Mark gestured sharply at April.

"I don't know, but it sure as hell won't be you! God, Mark, you couldn't keep it in your pants for a freaking  _childbirth class_! Grow up!"

Striding off, April following hurriedly behind her, Callie tried to control her feelings. Her friendship with Mark was straining beyond repair, she had to find a new childbirth coach to go with her to class and for the actual labor, and she really wanted a big cup of coffee, with two shots of espresso. Halfway down the hall, she heard Mark shout, "I'm the father, it's my job!" after her.

"As if one particularly adventurous sperm makes you a parent," she snorted.

X-X-X-X

Arizona, slightly detached from what she was seeing, knew the dream was going to torment her. It always did, since Sea-Tac. She'd had it a few times before, after the shooting, but then it had been almost something to look forward to.

The apartment was different – the furniture in a slightly odd arrangement, new paint on the walls. Toys were scattered on side tables and the breakfast bar.

She knew this dream, her conscious mind whispered, but she shoved that thought down as her dream self relaxed at the illusion of being  _home_.  _Home,_  her heart whispered to her, _home with Calliope._  A sound captured her attention from what used to be Cristina's room. Once Yang had moved out, they'd turned it into a storage/guest room. She walked in. The furniture was completely different. There was a soft plush red chair. A changing table. A wicker elephant-shaped diaper can. A crib. Colorful decorations were scattered across the stark concrete walls and there was a throw rug on the hardwood floor.

She heard the sound again. Moving closer, she saw a baby in a neutral yellow onesie in the crib. Dark skin, only a shade lighter than Callie's. Adorable pudgy cheeks. Dark brown eyes. The smile that stretched across her face felt completely natural, normal.

"Well hello there," she said, picking up the infant and cuddling close. The infant gurgled, relaxing a tiny body into her embrace.

The dream fast-forwarded, the infant growing into a toddler before her eyes. In the dream state, she didn't find this odd. In adorable little jeans and a tshirt, the child ran around the apartment, a small purple Matchbox car in hand, making "vroom vroom" noises. Arizona smiled. Everything felt perfect.

The toddler ran to her, hands stretching sky-high in a silent plea to be picked up. "Of course, baby," she said, settling the child comfortably on her hip. The child offered the purple car to her, and she accepted it, pressing a kiss to a chubby cheek. "Why, how did you know I wanted a purple car?" Laughing softly, she swayed as she settled the child in a high chair. The dream continued, a perfectly mundane day of play time and a toddler-friendly lunch. As she started to wake, and the dream slipped away, Arizona grasped at it all the harder.

She woke up with tears on her cheeks, already missing the child's laughter and the familiarity of apartment 502.

X-X-X-X

Stepping out of a long emergency surgery, Callie leaned gently against the sink. Beside her, April slumped as she scrubbed her hands. Glancing over at her protégé, Callie shook her head, "I know it's the end of your shift, too. You're not driving home like that, are you? You can either stay on my couch, or at the hospital, but you're not driving yourself anywhere."

With grateful, exhausted eyes, April simply nodded.

The door swung open behind them, Addison coming in with two large bottles of water. "Hello, ladies. Now drink, you're probably dehydrated."

Callie grimaced but accepted the bottle shoved in her face, "Sorry I couldn't pick you up, Addie. This guy… ugh. Motorcycles."

"It's fine. I left my bags in the attendings' lounge and did a couple consults for Fields. I entertained myself just fine."

"I'll get you another key made, though I can't believe you forgot yours," Callie replied between gulps of water.

"I know. Sorry about that. Now, shall we gather up our things and head over?"

"Yeah, yeah. April's crashing on the couch. I'm not letting her drive half-asleep. Be as stupid as the organ donor we just spent ten hours fixing because he couldn't be bothered avoid plowing into a brick wall."

"Which means she can call in the food order." Addison turned to April, whose eyes were half closed as she wandered next to the other two women towards the residents' locker room. "I like vegetable lo mien and any spicy chicken dish."

"Okay," April replied, slurring her words slightly. "What are you craving today, Callie?"

"Hot and sour soup, and egg foo young. Oh and dumplings. And boneless spare ribs," the two redheads could hear Callie's stomach growl, exchanging grins behind her back. "God, I want wine."

"Well I picked up a particularly nice sparkling cider on my way here from the airport, so you'll have to make do with that."

"You are a wonder, Addie."

"I am, aren't I?"

Ten minutes later found the three women – two half-asleep in rumpled clothes and one carrying a rather substantial suitcase – walking out the front doors of Seattle Grace. April slurred their order into her phone, hanging up shortly to mutter, "About half an hour, they said. If I'm not conscious, my wallet's in my purse."

"You may not be pregnant, but you've got to eat too. I'll poke you awake," Callie yawned.

"We'll all go to sleep early tonight. I'm dragging you both out for your day off," Addison declared, wearing a bright grin.

"Dragging us where?" Callie asked suspiciously. It was not like Addison to be so… cheery.

"Tomorrow is Seattle Pride. And I know you were excited to go… umm.. before. So we'll go, all three of us."

"Addie…" Callie glared. She had been excited – last year. Before she and Arizona broke up over babies. She had been excited again at the thought in the fall, something to do as a couple, before Arizona left her for Malawi. For a country and its tiny sick humans.

"You're not suddenly straight, you want to go, it's been  _ages_  since I saw one in New York, and I'm sure it would broaden April's horizons."

April laughed softly, "Well I haven't been to Seattle's, but I went every year in undergrad. And my first year of med school." The two older women stopped dead in their tracks, directly in front of Callie's building, and stared at her. She rolled her eyes at them, and held the door open. "I was planning on going; my friend Dev's in the parade this year. But I didn't have anybody to go with, and it's more fun with people."

They continued to stare at her as they jolted themselves into moving. Addison cleared her throat. "Well, I have reservations at a second-floor café that overlooks the parade route, and then we can follow everyone down the road afterwards."

Callie laughed, "Parade-viewing in style. Only a Montgomery!"

"I might be tall, but I don't want to peer over the unwashed masses if I don't have to," Addison joked.

"I'm the shortest, trust me, I like this idea, Doctor Montgomery," April said, leaning against the wall of the elevator.

X-X-X-X

As she had for the past month, Arizona ended their morning rounds in Zola's room. Done with her first round of surgeries for her spina bifida and hydrocephalus, the tiny girl was fitted with a shunt to help with fluid build up. The orphanage didn't have the staff or expertise to deal with her medical needs, so Zola would stay at the clinic for at least the next few months.

Checking the girl's shunt, Arizona talked nonstop to Zola, a soothing voice much more important than the words as she explained everything she was doing. Shunt checked and in proper working order, she settled into the room's single chair, Zola cuddled to her chest. As she dictated orders to and brainstormed with Karev, who sprawled on the floor, she rocked the tiny girl back and forth.

In Zola's room, Arizona's depression mostly lifted, becoming a fog instead of a lead curtain. Instead of thinking about what she left behind in Seattle, instead of the constant replay of her fight with Callie in Sea-Tac, instead of the thought of a future without the woman she had wanted to propose to – someday, instead of all the dark thoughts that had swirled in her mind for months, her concentration was instead on the solid, warm weight of the baby in her arms, on her present life, and the future. Zola gurgled happily, her tiny chubby fingers pressed against Arizona's collarbone, her head tucked under Arizona's chin.

Her voice soft and quiet as she spoke with her protégé, she felt her face break into a smile, completely out of her control.

X-X-X-X

Promptly at eight in the morning, April woke to her phone's alarm. Groaning, she rolled herself off the couch and into the nursery's bath where, with the toiletries she'd left behind the last time she'd fallen asleep at Callie's, she showered and dressed. Having a mentor who lived across from the hospital was quite a boon for her, and she always showed her thanks. Stumbling to the kitchen, she quietly pulled out pans and ingredients. Callie loved breakfast but hated making it – preferring to cook dinner or bake a dessert.

Forty-five minutes later, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee dragged Callie and Addison from the main bedroom, hair tousled and eyes bloodshot. April set two mugs of coffee on the breakfast bar, Callie's already prepared so her mentor could suck it down, and Addison's next to the sugar and cream waiting for her. "Thanks," grumbled Callie as she settled down in a chair.

"No problem. Waffles this morning, okay?"

"Sure." A little more aware with a few gulps of caffeine, "Did you make that strawberry thing?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course, you had the ingredients."

"Totally worth it to make sure I do," Callie grinned. "Addie, you'll love this."

Addison grunted as she took her first sip of coffee.

April smiled – she had crashed on Callie's couch several times lately, but never before while Addison was making her monthly visit to see Callie and act as her obstetrician. The older redhead was, unbelievably, even more grumpy in the morning. "Here, waffles with very berry sauce, my grandma's recipe."

Addison perked up at the plate shoved under her face, made an uncoordinated grab for the fork April offered, and began eating. A few minutes later, with her plate nearly licked clean, she turned to Callie, "If she's half as good a surgeon as she is a cook, you two will have your own Harper Averys in five years."

Callie laughed as April blushed. "I'm trying to convince her to work with me on my synthetic cartilage. But she keeps saying it's not fair to start the work with me if she won't get offered the fellowship."

Addison stared down the younger surgeon, "I wouldn't worry about that. They know talent when they see it, and the two of you together could revolutionize orthopedic surgery. And if you think I'm basing my idea of your surgical skill on this admittedly great food, you should know how much Callie has been talking about how you are in her OR. And how nice it is to teach someone who appreciates what she has to say."

Callie glared at her old friend, "You don't tell the residents how good they are, Adds! Dammit!"

"You do when they don't believe in themselves," Addison replied. "Now, are there any more waffles?"

April, blushing to her roots, nodded and slid the plate over.

X-X-X-X

Addison and Callie watched from their seats in the café as April appeared below them outside and ran up to her tall friend, jumping into Dev's arms and visibly squealing with delight as the group Dev was marching with continued down the road.

"Look at you being all mentor-y, Cal," Addison said softly, approvingly.

"Well, she just really needed someone in her corner. A little support, confidence. And it's worth it. You should see her in surgery."

"I look forward to it, actually. How's her pediatric experience?"

"It's what she was thinking of going into before she joined the ranks of ortho nerds, actually."

"Neonatal?"

"Not something she's done a lot. And honestly I haven't done it much either with you gone. Seattle Grace's neonatal department is not what it used to be."

"I know." The two women watched as April and Dev chattered happily at each other, hands clasped, walking away from them. "Ex?"

"Old college friend."

"Huh."

"Yeah."

"We'll see how that goes if she ever meets her Erica."

Callie almost  _growled_  at the mention of her first girlfriend.

"So… how's therapy going?"

Callie raised an eyebrow and turned to glare lightly at her best friend. "It's going. You pushed me into it, but it's going."

"Average number of nights you cry yourself to sleep per week now?"

"Addie!"

"Cal!"

She huffed, "Two, maybe three, I guess. It's a process!"

"Keep working on that process, Cal. You can't bring a child into the world when you're hurting so much. It can't be good for either of you."

"I know. It's not  _every_  night now, dammit."

They were silent for a few minutes, watching the last of the parade go by, the crowd starting to flow after the last floats. Addison paid their bill and they headed down to the street. The pair of them slid into the crowd carefully, Addison using her body and the folding camp chair she carried to shield Callie from any accidental knocks.

"You'll be a great mom, you know."

Callie's voice was almost indistinguishable in the happy, boisterous crowd surrounding them, "I wish I was becoming a mother with  _her_."

Addie sighed. The emphasis on 'her' was unmistakable. The name was never spoken, the pictures tucked away in a box under Callie's bed alongside a heart-shaped necklace. But she could still feel Arizona Robbins' absence like a giant hole in her best friend's life. It was gaping, raw, bloody. The baby was a balm to her friend's soul, if not conceived in a way Callie would ever have chosen, and mentoring April Kepner helped, but she wondered if Callie would ever truly recover from losing Arizona. At first incredibly angry with the woman, she had softened over the past few months, as Callie shared the insights she'd gained from therapy. How they had both contributed to their breakup, how they had both made so many mistakes in their relationship. How Callie still loved her, deeply, as much as she was angry and hurt.

As they reached the small park where a stage was set up, and the edges of the park were lined with booths where rainbow-colored wares were hocked and various organizations offered up their services, Addison moved them carefully through the milling crowd towards the shade of a small tree. As most people were still meandering through the booths, she was able to grab enough space to set down the chair for Callie, and a large blanket for herself and April – once the latter returned from seeing her friend. Callie settled with a grateful "oof" into her seat, and Addison settled herself comfortably on the blanket, kicking off her stylish boots.

"I probably should have worn sneakers," she remarked, rubbing her feet.

"I'm just glad I can still see my feet to put on my sneakers," Callie remarked, pulling a water bottle from her bag and taking a drink.

"Not for much longer."

"Addie…" Callie sighed, looking at her friend, amusement and sympathy warring in her eyes. She fiddled with her water bottle, worrying the paper label with her fingernail. "I'm sorry if this is hard, for you, but I'm so grateful you're with me through this."

Addison took a deep breath, meeting Callie's eyes. "I can't say it's the easiest thing I've ever done, Cal, but I will  _always_  be here for you. You should know that by now."

"I know, I know, but between the trouble you're having with… with getting pregnant, and the whole Mark thing…" She shook her head, the word vomit she was famous for not quite making it out past her lips.

"Cal… I'm sorry he's being such a… an immature jerk through all this. I thought he'd step up." Addison's voice was soft, angry, confused.

"I thought he would too. God, he was so different the past couple years. Was mature. Well, for him. He wasn't perfect, but…"

"He had someone competing for your time and attention. Someone who didn't like him, from what I hear," Addie said simply. "He's always at his best when that happens. When I was still married to Derek, he was attentive and charming and… when I wasn't? He tried, but not as hard. With you it's different. He isn't in love with you."

"He claims he's in love with Little Grey. But Bailey found him banging one of his new scrub nurses in a supply closet last week."

"How'd you hear about that?"

"I was down the hall when she started yelling about how nasty he was," Callie laughed. She couldn't help it. The poor nurse had been mortified while Mark had stood there somewhat flabbergasted, his scrub pants hanging loosely from his hips as they tented over a visible erection that quickly fizzled under Bailey's glare and shouting.

Addison rubbed a hand over her face, "He's a child. A horny, horny child."

"Little Grey barely speaks to him anymore." Callie shook her head.

"So much for true love, huh?"

"I don't know if I believe in true love anymore," Callie murmured, shifting her attention to the stage as the MC came to the microphone. The MC was a tall, gorgeous drag queen done up in tight shiny pants, a deep-necked flimsy shirt, and a large bouffant wig with a rainbow boa draped over her shoulders. Soon, the crowd roared at her lip-sync number, the bass shaking the ground as Cher's "Believe" blasted out of the speakers.

"I think the crowd disagrees with you, Cal," Addison said softly, patting her friend on the knee.

"I wish I disagreed with me too," she replied, sighing.

Halfway into the first band's act, April arrived, settling herself next to Addison with a big grin, her mouth full and offering both women their own plates of fried dough coated in sugar. "I couldn't resist!" she said, after swallowing.

With smiles all around, the three woman dug in. Despite all the things weighing down their lives, it was a beautiful day and they would enjoy it.

X-X-X-X

Arizona felt herself slip into dreaming. She wasn't sure where the semi-lucid dreaming came from, but she loved what she called the might-have-been dreams, as much as they hurt.

The little child was older, running around her and Callie's old apartment with a toddler version of Zola. The detached part of her consciousness gasped at Zola's presence, but the little girl was unmistakable, wearing overalls and a tiny Rat City Rollergirls shirt. The two children played together comfortably, smiling and happy. She watched over them with a sense of peace she rarely felt anymore suffusing her mind.

The door to the apartment slammed open. The two children startled, rushing to cling to Arizona's legs in their fright. "Hey, kiddo!" Mark shouted from the doorway. Arizona felt little hands tighten in the fabric of her jeans. "Time for Blondie and Zola to head out." She saw his eyes drop to her chest, as he had so often before, a smirk on his face.

Arizona's eyes moved to Callie, standing silent behind Mark, but the brunette was stone-faced. "Okay." She carefully disentangled the two kids from her legs, dropping her to her knees to offer Callie's child a gentle hug. She turned to Zola, lifting the girl into her arms as she stood.

Callie moved into the apartment, pulling her child up into her arms. Arizona managed a half-smile as she grabbed her purse from the breakfast bar and walked out the door. She could hear the child start to cry from the hall, and felt tears start down her face.

Zola, perched contentedly in her arms, patted her cheek, and said in a soft toddler voice, "Luv you momma."

Arizona felt her heart break and then heal itself in the space of a moment as she hugged Zola closer. "I love you too, big girl."

The dream faded around her as her dream self entered the elevator. The last thing she could sense was toddler Zola's body in her embrace.

She hadn't wanted children for so long. Especially hadn't wanted a child that could end up in her NICU. And yet she couldn't deny it any longer, even in her dreams – she was falling in love with a child she first  _met_  in her NICU. She had changed her dreams for Callie Torres and now Zola was changing – saving – those dreams even as the rest of her personal life had crumbled to dust. Her life with Callie was over – they'd exchanged only a handful of terse emails since Sea-Tac and beyond that there was only radio silence. But the dreams of being a mother, first appearing in her mid-30's, those she could still save, along with the little girl that needed a home.

Still in her pajamas, she booted up her laptop and quietly looked up the requirements to adopt in Malawi. She was a resident of the country – at least for the next two and a quarter years. That helped. She investigated further.

X-X-X-X

"What's up, boss?" Alex said as he closed the apartment door behind him.

She looked up at him blankly, marshalling her thoughts. "I'm trying to talk myself out of something," she replied, half joking, half serious.

"What is it?" He crossed his arms, hopping up on their dining table.

"Adopting Zola," she replied softly.

His eyes widened. The fight between Robbins and Torres about babies had been quickly elevated to Seattle Grace legend in their circle. He'd been rooting for Robbins to get her head out of her ass about it the entire time. Alex Karev understood kids, and knew his boss would be a great parent if she could just manage to get over herself, her fears, or deal with whatever kept her from even considering motherhood. But he always thought she'd do it with Torres, not single and in Africa, at least until she got attached to an orphaned baby in the NICU. "Don't worry, I won't tell them you're a lesbian when they come for the home visit," he snarked at her, grinning. If this could pull Robbins out of her funk, and give a kid a good home at the same time, he was all for it. Even if he was going to be woken up in the middle of the night by a screaming infant soon.

"But I'm single! And gay! And in Malawi! I live with you," she gestured randomly at him. "Where on earth would we even put her?"

"There's enough room for a crib in with you. We put the changing table in the corner over there," he gestured at an empty section of their mostly barren living area, "and that's it."

She studied him carefully, that calculating gaze that always made him slightly uneasy. "You'd be okay with it? Sharing living space with a screaming, pooping infant who will wake you up in the middle of the night for no discernable reason? Because  _I'm_  not even sure I'm ready for it."

"Robbins, yes, shut up. She's your kid, dammit. I've seen you with her. You're both so happy when you're together I wanna puke. You just gotta make them recognize it. Buy me some earplugs and we'll be all set."

Sitting back in her chair, she let a smile overtake her face. "You're a good man, Karev."

His cheeks burning, Alex stomped over to their kitchenette. "Whatever, dude."

X-X-X-X

April strapped herself into the driver's seat of her car. A conveniently scheduled afternoon off for both her and her mentor meant a trip to the airport to pick up Addison for her monthly visit to Seattle. The routine of the past eight months had settled down into Addison arriving every four weeks to not only do the most in depth of exams as she monitored Callie's pregnancy, but to offer consults for other patients at Seattle Grace.

Callie's appointment was not until the next day, so the three women would spend the evening together, a pleasure April had not expected when she'd approached Callie in the x-ray room to request Callie allow her on her service. But when Callie Torres opened up, she opened up both her personal and professional lives. Fresh out of an extended shift (Addison would not be pleased) due to several car accidents that had demanded all of their combined skill, April was wide awake but Callie drifted off beside her, strapped in and snoozing gently as they made their way towards Sea-Tac.

Until there was the screech of horns, and a loud crash as she felt them being pushed to her left. As her head impacted with the side of her car door's frame, April knew no more.

tbc…

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter includes some direct quotes from Grey’s canon, as well as other lines adapted to this story’s needs.

 

 

Teddy Altman stared at her phone.  The email displayed thereon shocked her.  Well, most of it was the norm for her email exchanges with Arizona – interesting cases, hospital gossip, general chitchat.  She was surprised she was even still getting the emails, nine months into Arizona’s time in Malawi.  Her friend had literally said she didn’t stay in touch with many friends from her past when questioned about it – a result of growing up a Marine brat and moving so frequently.  Teddy knew Arizona had one or two friends from her “horror show” days at Hopkins, one friend from childhood she spoke of glowingly, and a handful of casual friends from her undergrad and med school years, but generally, when Arizona moved, she let her ties to wherever she left drift off into the sunset.  That nine months after ripping her heart out in Sea-Tac she was still in contact with Teddy, Bailey, and had rescued Karev from Stark’s joke of a peds department, was a minor miracle Teddy was incredibly thankful for.

 

Even if she could have gotten Arizona back.  If only she’d not told her friend the truth about that night at Joe’s.  If only, if only, the woman might have come back to a knocked up ex and the mess would be even worse.  She sighed.  But even the emotional carnage of the Callie-Arizona breakup couldn’t explain, to her at least, why the woman who had somehow become her closest friend wanted her to be a reference as Arizona tried to adopt a baby.

 

She continued to stare at her phone.  Until a small hand waved in front of her face, and she ripped her attention away from the email boggling her mind and redirected it towards Miranda Bailey, who was looking at her with an amused smirk.

 

“I guess you got the same… unusual email from one of our lost lambs that I did this morning, huh?” the shorter woman said, shaking her head.

 

Glancing around to make sure the lounge was empty, Teddy nodded.  The two women had bonded from sharing Arizona as a long-distance friend.  Where Teddy used to share coffee and chat with a shorter blonde, now she shared it with Bailey regularly, when not dragged into a conversation with the unusual combination of Torres and Kepner.

 

“I have no idea what she’s thinking, trying to adopt in Malawi,” Bailey continued.  “I’ll help her, don’t get me wrong, but she broke up with Torres over not wanting babies and now she’s basically gone and found one right as Torres is about to pop out Sloan spawn?”  She clucked her tongue, “Are you worried?”

 

Teddy stretched her face into a sad smile, “A bit, yeah.  I’ll ask, we’re scheduled to talk on Skype tomorrow night.  If she wants me to lie about her sexual orientation to the government of Malawi, the least she can do is explain what the hell is going on in that mind of hers.”

 

Miranda laughed, opening her mouth to speak as both their pagers screeched.  “911 to the pit.  You too?”  Nodding, Teddy rose from her chair and the two of them bolted out towards the emergency room.

 

X-X-X-X

 

April felt the jolt in her bones. One moment she was driving herself and Callie to the airport to pick up Addison Montgomery and the next her head was pounding, blood dribbling into her eyes, ribs hurting, and her airbag deployed in front of her. She gasped, looking over to her mentor and friend. Callie, taller than her, had hit her head even harder and more awkwardly on the windshield of April's old Focus. She was unconscious, blood covering most of her face. April spurred herself into action. With one hand she fished out her cell phone, dialing for an ambulance, while with the other she first checked Callie's pulse – strong – and then laid a gentle hand on Callie's prominent baby belly, just barely seven months along. A solid kick met her fingers and she sighed in relief, even as she directed the ambulance to their location. As she clambered into the back with a stretchered Callie ten minutes later, she made a quick call to Addison's voicemail, instructing the other woman to get a cab as quickly as possible once her plane landed at Sea-Tac which, checking her watch, should have been five minutes ago.

 

Time passed in a blur for April as she rattled off Callie's condition to the group of surgeons that met them outside the ER. Single-mindedly following Callie's gurney into the trauma room, she watched as Lucy Fields set up the fetal heart monitor and ultrasound, quickly checking for a heartbeat and the condition of the placenta before a hyper-focused Addison Montgomery rushed in, dumping her suitcases by the door before taking over for Fields, who bowed out to the world renowned surgeon's expertise. She felt a rough hand on her arm, pulling her into the doorway.

 

“What the hell happened?” demanded Mark.

 

“I don't know! We were heading to the airport and a truck came out of nowhere!” April replied, grabbing a trauma gown from a nearby supply cart. She tore herself from Mark's grasp, moving forward to assist with the portable x-ray a nurse had just rolled into the room.

 

Owen glanced up at her, seeing the smears of blood over her face, “Get out of here, Kepner. Get that head lac looked at and I want you to get a CT,” he ordered. “Little Grey, check her out.”

 

April resisted for a moment, which let the pounding of her head take over her awareness. Lexie pulled her gently out of the room, past Mark's angry glare, and towards a trauma bay.

 

X-X-X-X

 

Lexie Grey carefully led her friend towards CT.  With the blood on her face, and her cuts sluggishly bleeding, April's pale features stood out even more.  Tears silently made their way down her cheeks and her breath was stressed.

 

“April,” Lexie said softly, “April, you need to breathe.  Okay?  Just breathe.  In and out.”  She studied her friend worriedly.  There was an underlying panic there that she had rarely seen before.

 

“I… I almost killed her!  Them!” the words were high-pitched, breathless.

 

“No!  No, listen to me,” Lexie shook her friend, stepping directly into her line of sight and forcing their eyes to meet.  “Some asshole in a truck did.  You can’t control what other people do, and you got her here as fast as you could.  You did everything right in a horrible situation.  Just breathe, April, please, just breathe.”

 

A sob tore through April’s chest, and she began to hyperventilate.  Luckily, they were next to a supply cart and a bag to breathe into was easily available.  Shaking it open, Lexie pressed it against her friend’s mouth, wrapped an arm around April’s shoulders to steady her.  As soon as her breathing was under control, April turned to burrow into her friend’s embrace.  They stood, silent in the hall, for several minutes while April regained control of her emotions.

 

“CT?” she hiccupped eventually.

 

“Yup, and I want to patch up that nasty cut on your forehead, too,” Lexie smiled, leading April along the hall.

 

Half an hour later she was back, in clean scrubs, to check on her mentor as Addison kept watch in the ICU over a sedated Callie with a temporarily closed abdomen. Addison met her worried gaze with a warm if strained smile. She held out the chart to April, letting the younger doctor take in what had happened after she'd been escorted from the trauma room. Lexie hovered by the door, watching over them.

 

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry.  But don’t worry, we got this,” Addison murmured, stroking her best friend’s cheek.  “We’ll take care of you.”  She looked up as April finished skimming the chart, hugging herself in a dismal attempt at self-soothing.

 

“We took my car because the Thunderbird only has lap belts,” she said softly. “But the thing is a tank. My tiny car was totaled and we were both knocked around when we were hit. The T-bird would have shrugged that off like nothing.”

 

Addison sighed. The situation was dire, but at least the baby had avoided any serious issues as far as they could tell. The problems for Callie were the abdominal damage done by the restraining belt and the brain bleeds hitting her head on the car's frame had caused. “You did the best you could, April,” she replied quietly. “The baby is fine, and we'll take care of Callie. If we have to take the baby early to make it easier on Cal, she's at a good weight and stage to do it, and I’ve already given steroids just in case. Not perfect, but good enough. Certainly better than if it had happened earlier.”

 

Outside the ICU room, the three women could hear Bailey explaining Callie's current situation to Mark, detailing the strain on her cardiovascular system. “Why are we even talking about the baby?” they heard, all their ears honing in at his words. “We give Callie the best shot we can, no matter what.”

 

“Callie wants to carry her baby to term,” Addison said, stepping out of the ICU room to join the conversation.

 

“Callie wants to live,” Mark retorted at his ex.

 

“It's not an either-or situation, Doctor Sloan, not at this point in her pregnancy,” April piped up, standing shoulder to shoulder with Addison.

 

“Why are you even talking? You're not making this decision. You're the one who got her into this mess!” he snapped angrily.

 

April recoiled, stepping back unconsciously until she felt Lexie's hand settle lightly between her shoulder blades.

 

“A truck running a red light got her into this mess, not April, so shut up. And I'm the one making this decision,” Addison glared.

 

“You! You never wanted my baby before, so why the hell should you get a say in what happens to this one?!” Mark steamed. “Are you going to kill this one too?”

 

“She's Callie's Emergency Contact and has power of attorney,” April said, letting Lexie and Addison's silent support strengthen her shaky voice. Her head had barely stopped pounding, while a potent mix of guilt and stress ate her alive. But she remembered helping Callie set up the paperwork only a few weeks earlier after the reality of her mentor having no family she'd trust – or was even speaking to, nor a girlfriend, available to list on the yearly update required of their E.C.'s at SGMW. She'd even been there for the conversation, and Addison's lawyer had set up the power of attorney paperwork, as well as a will, for her friend. Several of the baby books had suggested various legal steps and Callie had done everything possible to protect herself and her unborn child.

 

“And the baby is at the seventh month point. She has a 96% chance of surviving delivery right now. Of course we'd like to improve that, but Callie would also like to live to meet her child. A scheduled C-section would let us repair the damage to Callie's body, and the baby would have a great chance,” Addison stated calmly. “The ultrasound didn't show any damage to the baby. Two months early isn't bad if it means she gets to meet her mother.” The calm doctor disappeared for a second, her eyes flashing with fire, “And don't you dare bring up our past. I want what's best for Callie _and_ her baby, that's it.”

 

“You don't get to make decisions about my baby, Addison! This is my baby, I'm the father!” He pointed at her, “You're nothing, you hear! That's my family in there! I'm the father! You don't give a shit about my child! You didn't a shit four years ago and you don't care now!”

 

Addison sucked in a breath, ignoring April's gentle hand on her arm. “She's my best friend, Mark. And I care a hell of a lot about her baby. _Her_ baby. Which means I will do my damndest to make sure Callie meets her child when she wakes up. Now get the hell out of the ICU. You're disturbing the patients.”

 

“I think you'd better listen to Doctor Montgomery, Sloan,” Bailey said, steel in her voice. Flushing red, he stomped out of the unit. “He's going to be trouble,” she muttered.

 

Addison snorted, “He's been trouble since she told him she was pregnant. Having me around just makes it worse.” She sighed, “But it is the best plan. We need to take the baby so you can finish repairing the bleeders, Miranda. I wish Karev was still here. I trust him more with this than I do Fields.”

 

“We'll have to make do, since the boy ran off to Africa,” Bailey pointed out. “Kepner, I know you did well on your pediatric rotation. Are you feeling well enough to join this little soiree, keep an eye on Fields?”

 

April nodded, “The painkillers have started to kick in, I'm good.”

 

As soon as she'd finished speaking, the monitors started to blare. Lexie, who had been keeping half an eye on them, shouted, “Her pressure's bottoming out!”

 

“Call an OR, let them know we're on our way,” Addison instructed as she and April started to move Callie's gurney, Lexie and Miranda grabbing the IVs and monitors.

 

In a mass, doctors moved together towards the OR, scrubbing in and gowning up. If she were asked later to describe the multiple surgeries that occurred, April drew a blank. She knew something had happened with Callie's heart, Teddy jumping in to fix the issue, that Bailey had finally found the abdominal bleeder, that Meredith and Shepherd had had to jump in to repair a just-diagnosed brain bleed, that Addison had carefully done the C-section as frenetic activity swirled around her, but all April concentrated on was the baby, shadowing Fields as the three pound, seven ounce little girl was pulled from her mother's body with a strong heartbeat. After a few moments of suction, and the determination of her Apgar score, Fields moved to hook the slightly squirming baby up to oxygen.

 

April hovered over the portable incubator, running a gentle finger down a tiny arm and smiling widely when there was reflexive grasping of her finger. She turned, meeting Addison's eyes as the other doctor quickly glanced up to meet her gaze. April nodded, and she could tell there was a wide grin beneath her colleague's mask. “Go with her,” Addison said softly, “I'll follow you as soon as I'm done here.”

 

An hour later, April sat collapsed into a chair in the NICU, pink gown in disarray around her tired body. As soon as Addison had finished suturing Callie closed, she'd followed April to the NICU and taken over the baby's care from Fields. With only supplemental oxygen, the baby was doing well, her Apgar rising quickly for a preemie.

 

The two redheads met each other's eyes, exhaustion lacing both their features. April checked her phone as it beeped, a quick message from Lexie taking up the screen. “Callie's doing well,” she murmured. “Bailey's sitting with her for the moment, but I think she was near the end of her shift when we came in; she has to be beat. I should probably take over. Text me with any changes?”

 

Addison nodded, “I'll keep her company. Was there any further thought on a name?”

 

April smiled, “She had it down to two, but she wouldn't tell me which. Wanted to tell you first, godmomma. Once she wakes up, we'll know.”

 

Addison looked at the placard at the end of the incubator, which currently read _Baby Girl Torres,_ “What about her head injury? Any news on that?”

 

“Meredith told Lexie and Bailey that if she wakes up, she should be okay, in time.  She might need some physical therapy.”  A natural optimist, April didn't elaborate on the alternative.

 

“She'd better. She named me primary guardian in her will, and I don't want to have to fight Mark every second,” Addison sighed. “Where'd he disappear to, anyway?”

 

April shook her head. “I don't know. No one's seen him. And Lexie's angry at him for what he said in the ICU. No one's going to bother checking on him now.”

 

After a soft groan, Addison rubbed her eyes, “He hasn't made any friends the past few months.”

 

“He lost most of them, I think,” was April's hesitant reply. “Only Jackson's even sitting with him at lunch now.”

 

“Idiot. Egotistical idiot.”

 

April nodded, dragging herself out of her chair. “I'm going to go now. Maybe I'll stop and get a coffee on the way.”

 

“Shit. Do you know what happened to my luggage?”

 

At the non sequitur, April laughed. “I had an intern stash them in the attendings' lounge.”

 

“Thanks, April. Cal lucked out to mentor someone like you,” Addison smiled.

 

Blushing, Kepner grinned, stretching before she left the NICU for the ICU.

 

X-X-X-X

 

The brain is understood, yet not.  Bleeds can be repaired, physical damage fixed, but what makes us who we are, what creates our thoughts and what interprets our senses, remains a mystery in many ways.  When Callie Torres smacked her head, hard, on the windshield of her protégé’s car, her mind changed things for her.  Perhaps her mind wanted to give her a happier story than the one she was living.  Or maybe her unconscious was a bitter, cruel bastard taunting her with might-have-beens.

 

The first thing Callie really noticed was the pain.  It was everywhere, all underneath the generous dosage of morphine.  The pain was there, but she was so drugged she didn’t particularly care. 

 

She drifted between sleep and wakefulness.  Her dream had been odd, but in her medicated condition it had made perfect sense.  Of course she and Arizona were heading out of town for a weekend away.  Of course Arizona proposed just before they were in an accident.  Of course she had gone completely through the windshield – even with the morphine she felt like that could be true.

 

And Arizona _was there_ as her muddled thoughts climbed towards awareness.  She had come back.  Karev had never followed her to Africa.  And they all – all of them, except Cristina who couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket – had _sung_.  Songs from the radio, songs from her iPod, songs she heard in passing at the grocery store.  They had all sung, and it had felt fitting and normal.  Maybe that afternoon of watching movie musicals had been a bad idea.

 

So when she woke, and saw through her blurry vision a dirty blonde ponytail slumped against her bed, of course it was Arizona.  All she wanted in that moment was to reply to the question she’d been asked before flying through a windshield.  To promise her future to Arizona.  To promise her everything to Arizona.

 

“Yes,” she croaked, startling the ponytail’s owner.  “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

 

Teddy Altman grinned sadly, “I’ll keep that in mind if my paper husband doesn’t work out, Callie.  How are you feeling?”

 

Callie recoiled as she recognized her friend.  “Where’s Arizona?” she demanded, voice rough and sore.

 

Teddy shook her head sadly, “In Malawi, honey.  Do you know what the date is?”  She pulled out a penlight, checking Callie’s pupil response carefully.

 

“July fifteenth,” Callie stuttered.  “Water?”

 

“Of course,” she slid her flashlight into a pocket before offering Callie a sip of tepid hospital water.  “Actually, that was yesterday, Callie.  You and April were hit by a truck.  Do you remember that?”

 

“Yes,” Callie said, her real memories overtaking the dream slowly.  She wanted to shatter into a thousand pieces, but the soreness in her abdomen overrode her grief.  “My baby?” she asked, voice high with panic.

 

“Doing just fine,” April offered from the door way.   “Her vitals are great and Addison’s keeping an eye on her right now.”  She pulled out her cell, calling up a photo on the screen and letting Callie squint at the image.  “Here, she’s beautiful.” 

 

“Just like her mother,” Teddy offered, grinning.  “She did a lot better than you did.  Had us worried there for awhile, Torres.”

 

X-X-X-X

 

As she walked out of Seattle Grace, Teddy bumped into Miranda in the parking lot, their cars only a few feet apart.

 

“Long day,” Teddy murmured to her friend.

 

“You could say that.  Or just that it sucked,” Bailey countered, shaking her head.  She studied her exhausted coworker, “Are you going to tell Robbins what kept you here on your day off?”

 

Teddy leaned against her car as she fumbled through her purse for the keys.  “I don’t know,” she breathed.  “I mean, I don’t want to lie, by omission.  And she’d want to know.”

 

“It’s not like you can tell her everything.  This hospital may be staffed by a bunch of children, but we do have doctor-patient confidentiality.”

 

“When she woke up, she thought I was Arizona.  She thought Arizona was here, and had _proposed_ ,” Teddy murmured.  “She said _yes_ , and then freaked out when she realized I wasn’t Arizona.  I had to tell her what continent her ex-girlfriend is on.”

 

“She had a head injury,” Bailey tried to soothe the upset woman before her.  “You can’t take what she said while coming out of that completely seriously.”

 

Teddy raised one eyebrow at the shorter woman before her, “Have you not been paying attention?  I never met her before she was with Arizona.  And let me tell you, I see a difference right now.  Whatever happened in that airport broke her.  She spends her days with Kepner, avoids Sloan, and has this look in her eyes…”  She trailed off, unsure how to pinpoint the differences she’d noticed in the past months.

 

Bailey shook her head, “Kepner’s an unlikely protégé, I admit, but you haven’t seen them in surgery together as much as I have.  Girl has skills, and Torres is making sure she perfects them.  They’re friends, as strange as that is.  And given Sloan’s behavior, I’m not surprised she’s avoiding him.  Man’s an ass.  And a whore.  Not someone you want as the father of your child.”

 

Teddy nodded, “I know, I know.  It’s just… she’s not Callie.  She’s more… the hardcore badass surgeon person.  And maybe that’ll change with the baby here.  Who knows?”

 

“I stopped by her room before I left,” Bailey said, ignoring that her statement seemed a non sequitur.  “Did you hear what she’s naming that little girl?”  Teddy shook her head.  “She decided on Sofia Ruby Torres.”

 

“No Sloan?”

 

“No Sloan.  She’s that angry with him.”

 

“Well he did get kicked out of their childbirth classes,” Teddy shrugged.  She’d sat through more than one uncomfortable lunch with Torres and Kepner in which Callie had ranted about that very fact.

 

“And do you know where the Ruby comes from?  Oh she didn’t say it, but I know.”

 

Teddy shook her head again.  “No?”

 

“Ruby was the little girl they operated on in peds, during the shooting,” over a year later, and Bailey’s voice still caught when she mentioned the shooting.  “The one with the burst appendix?”

 

Teddy nodded, slowly remembering her best friend’s vague babbled story of what had happened that horrible day. 

 

“Arizona threw herself over that child when Clark walked into the room.  Bodily threw herself over that child.”

 

“Maybe they realized how much they loved each other over that kid,” Teddy mused, softly.

 

Bailey nodded, “And they got back together in the parking lot.  Half the hospital saw them.  Didn’t hear anyone yammering about much else after that.”

 

“Everyone wanted to talk about something good in the middle of all of,” she gestured vaguely, “that.” 

 

“They did.  And now Torres gave that girl’s name to her own child.  Something that can’t be anything but connected to her ex.”

 

“Head injury.  You said it yourself.”

 

Bailey grimaced, shaking her head, “No.  She’d written it down as what she decided on before they went to pick up Addison.  She’d finally decided on Sofia, but apparently Ruby was the middle name contender from the get-go.  As soon as she stopped crying over the pregnancy test.”

 

“Shit.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

X-X-X-X-X

 

Teddy stumbled through her front door, fighting with the sticky lock she kept forgetting to fix.  Exhausted, she simply dumped her purse and keys on the counter.  Her mind circled around thoughts of Callie, and little Sofia Ruby.  She wasn’t sure if the name worked, or not.  She tasted it on her tongue; it had a good rhythm at least, something she could imagine Callie shouting at a surly teenage version of herself.

 

And thank god for that – barely out of the womb, still mostly in that vaguely Winston Churchill phase, and already Sofia resembled her mother a bit.  She was truly a beautiful baby, even a month early.  Teddy sighed, she wouldn’t worry about Sofia – that was Addison’s job, and something she was doing quite well, basically camping in the NICU until Callie could be there for her daughter.

 

Stripping off her blouse and jeans as she walked through her apartment, Teddy reached her room just to pull off her bra and slip into her pajamas.  Over the past few months, she’d gotten used to the routine of talking with her best friend via skype.  It’d been a too-long shift; she just wanted to be comfortable before diving into the undoubtedly intense discussion ahead of her.

 

Dropping onto her couch with a glass of wine, she booted up her laptop and clicked on the application.  The connection noise grated on her nerves until she was able to click on Arizona’s little icon.

 

Within a few seconds, the grainy video feed kicked in and she glimpsed blond hair above a tired smile.  “Good connection?” came the static-laced question.

 

“So far, so good,” she replied, grinning back.

 

Arizona cocked her head, studying the video, “You look tired.  Wasn’t today your day off?”

 

“Big trauma.  I just got home from my last shift.”  Teddy hedged as best she could.

 

“Didn’t your shift end midday yesterday?”

 

“Yup.  But I got a very interesting email before that trauma came in, you know.”  She raised one eyebrow in challenge.

 

“Interesting?  Yes.  Are you too tired to interrogate me, Theodora?”

 

“Not at all, Arizona.”  Teddy shook her head.  She couldn’t see the room behind her best friend, and so carefully chose her words, “You broke up your last relationship because you didn’t want kids, and now you want to adopt one?  Clear this contradiction up for me, okay?”

 

Arizona leaned back in her chair.  “We’re in my office, you can say exactly what you want to.  And yes, I did.  Yes, I do.”  She took a deep breath.  “After the shooting, after we got back together,” she choked on her words slightly, the grief still apparent, “I started to look into options.  To get used to the idea?  I promised her ten kids.  If that was what she wanted, I wanted to want it too.”

 

“And you do?  Now?  In Malawi?  Alone?” Teddy couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice, and didn’t try to disguise it.

 

Her friend laughed, a heaviness behind the sound, “I know, it’s insane.  Dangerous?  I don’t know.  Maybe it helps that even in the US, she’d be hard to adopt with her medical conditions.  I’m a doctor, I can get her the care she needs for as long as she needs it.”

 

“Arizona, what does she have?”  Teddy asked lowly, afraid to hear the answer.

 

“Spina bifida, hydrocephalus, but she’s already in treatment for both.  The shunt’s in to reduce the fluid in her skull, and the neurosurgeon says she’ll be ready for her next surgery soon,” Arizona rattled off confidently.

 

“She’s in your NICU?”

 

Arizona shifted in her seat, “Not exactly.  You know how I run things for spina bifida patients- she’s in a latex-free room near it.”

 

“She’s still a NICU patient,” Teddy said softly.  “Arizona, you aren’t her doctor, are you?”

 

She bit her lip before shaking her head, “Only in the sense that she’s in my clinic?  I’ve turned over primary care to Karev.”

 

“Karev?”

 

“I trust him.  You should see how well he’s doing here,” Arizona defended her protégé.

 

“Okay.  So you want to adopt a sick child in a country hostile to your very existence.  Can you see why I’m having trouble figuring this out?  You didn’t even want kids a couple years ago!”

 

“Do you know what they say on the adoption message boards?”

 

Teddy shook her head, curious.

 

“When you see your baby, you know it.  You know it was meant to be.  And maybe I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t been here, met her here, coming off the bus from the orphanage screaming her head off until I cuddled her, but I was here.  I saw it.  She’s my baby,” Arizona’s words were a whisper by the time she finished, tears pooling in bright blue eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall down pale cheeks.  “Who would choose this situation?  I mean, really?  But she’s my baby.  I’m her mom.”

 

“And this one-eighty about having kids at all?” Teddy pushed, not letting herself show any emotion.  “After the shooting, I could think of it as just plain desperation because you need Callie so much, but…”

 

Arizona shook her head, a hint of anger coloring her words, “I’m not some trauma case, Teddy.”  She stared at her friend, trying to come up with the words she needed.  Instead, a heavy knock at the door diverted both their attentions.  With an apologetic glance, Arizona rose to unlock her office door and open it.

 

With the door open, Teddy could hear soft crying.  “Someone didn’t want to settle tonight,” Karev said gruffly, as she strained to hear over the static-filled connection.

 

“Ahhh…” she heard from her best friend, “Did you miss me, Zola?”  A high-pitched whimper was all she could make out.  Seconds later, Arizona appeared in view of the laptop’s webcam again, carefully cradling a baby whose head showed signs of a recent surgery.  Arizona settled into her chair, rocking the infant as she started to quiet.  Teddy sat back, her mind whirling.  She’d seen Arizona with babies before, she’d assisted her friend on numerous infant surgeries, helped talk to the distressed parents, so she’d seen Arizona in her “patient/doctor mode” quite a bit.  Arizona the doctor was friendly, kind, calm, efficient, gentle.  The Arizona she could see on the grainy webcam feed was, obvious over even the internet, glowing.  There was a sense of wonder on her face that Teddy had never seen before.  Instead of the gloom that had overtaken Arizona since her breakup, she was smiling broadly.  She couldn’t help but think that Arizona was made to be a mother.  Specifically, this little girl’s mother.  She shook her head.  Even a week ago, she wouldn’t have believed this change in her best friend.

 

“I believe you,” she said softly, not wanting to startle the dozing baby.  “You two look beautiful together, Arizona.”

 

The wide smile on Arizona’s face brightened even more.  “Thank you, Teddy!  You’ll have to come visit us, you know.  I want Zola to know her godmother.”

 

Unbidden, Teddy blushed.  “I’d like that, a lot. 

 

Zola squirmed in her sleep, letting out a quiet murmur.  The two women returned their attention to her, a happy silence overtaking them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Have you ever looked up the different kinds of shunts they put in babies with hydrocephalus? It’s pretty amazing stuff. Seattle Children’s has a few neat pages showing what they’re up to, with some excellent illustrations. I got a kick out of that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I would like to re-state I am not a doctor, nurse, or health care professional of any sort. All I know of the field is what I've picked up from the internet, various times relatives have been in the hospital, and my mom's research into 19th century midwifery/obstetrics. I'm pretty light on the medical details so I don't get something horribly wrong; if that method fails, please let me know and I'll try my best to fix it. Also, I know only the bare minimum about Private Practice, so assume it's a major AU for what's going on in LA with Addison. I'm taking some themes I am aware of and little of the actual plot as it happened.

After a quarter of an hour spent watching Zola as she slept heavily, she heard Teddy shift her seat. "I can let you go?" she offered softly. "This can't be very interesting to watch."

Teddy shook her head, "No, it's pretty amazing, honestly. And… I have some things I need to talk to you about. Is she asleep enough to be put in her crib?"

Arizona nodded, and waved Karev over from where he'd been standing slumped against the door frame, pressing a soft kiss to the little girl's forehead before handing her over. He took Zola carefully from her arms and left, closing the door behind him. "What is it?" Arizona asked, tilting her head to take in Teddy's uncomfortable body language.

"I just want to say that everyone is fine, okay? Stable, in good condition. But the trauma that came in yesterday? That kept me at the hospital? It was a car accident. Kepner and Callie were hit by a truck while they were on their way to pick up Addison from the airport."

Arizona felt all the air rush out of the room. "Teddy…"

"Callie's fine. The baby is fine. Kepner is fine," Teddy reassured quickly.

"Teddy!" she could feel her breathing speed up, and forced her body to calm. Collapsing halfway across the world wouldn't help Callie at all.

"Callie hit her head on the windshield, pretty hard. She had a couple of bleeders, but Derek repaired them easily enough. After a bit of disorientation when she first woke up, she was absolutely aware of her surroundings. She needs a bit of physio to regain some motor control, but otherwise is fine neurologically. There were abdominal bleeders. She was packed in her first operation and we went back in later on. Addison took the baby in a C-section then. Her Apgar was up to a nine when I left. Bailey fixed the bleeders once the baby was out and Callie is  _just fine_. Oh, and Kepner had a really nasty head lac and some bad bruising from her seatbelt; her CT was clear."

Arizona buried her head in her hands. A part of her wanted to jump on the next plane to Seattle, but she fully realized she'd lost the opportunity – the right – to be there for Callie months ago. Her palms felt wet; she scrubbed at her cheeks. For a long moment she concentrated on her breathing. She chanted in her head,  _Calliope's fine, Calliope's fine._  She spared a quick prayer for the baby, desperate to get her hands on the newborn's chart. "She was what, eight months along?"

Teddy's response was quiet, but firm, "Yes. Addison had her on steroids before delivery and was very pleased with the results. Kepner was back by then from her own treatment and assisted Fields until Addison was done with Callie. There were no complications; she even started crying in the OR before they left for the NICU."

"So what now? How long will Calliope have to be in the hospital? Will Sloan," she couldn't control her lips twisting into a disgusted face, "take the baby home?"

"I don't think anyone's figured that out yet. But given how they were shouting at each other like two days ago, I think Addison will likely just keep Sofia in the NICU until Callie's ready to go home too. No one will stop her, and she's already rearranged her schedule to be here for the next couple of months anyway, even if it's a bit earlier than she planned."

"Sofia?" the whisper was almost overridden by the static on their connection.

Teddy sighed softly, "Yes. Sofia Ruby Torres. Callie had just decided the day before the accident."

Arizona felt her face pale. The middle name struck her in the gut. And the lack of a "Sloan" in there somewhere confused her. "No Sloan?" she asked, tamping down any sense of hope that the omission gave her.

"No. No Sloan. I don't even know if she bothered to put him on the birth certificate, she's that angry. Especially once Kepner blurted out his fight with Bailey in the ICU." Teddy seemed to be unable to control her words, as she got going.

"Teddy?"

The simple inquiry opened a floodgate in her friend, as Teddy's frustration with the accident, the entire Torres/Sloan situation, and especially with Mark's words to Bailey, Kepner, and Addison boiled over. She hadn't been there for the shouting, but had heard a tense retelling of it from Addison, backed up by Bailey and April, in Callie's hospital room not terribly long after the ortho surgeon woke up and demanded to be filled in on events.

As Teddy pushed through the story, Arizona felt her fear and anger mingle, feeding off each other. Fear over almost losing someone she didn't even  _have_  anymore – though Callie would always be "it" for her, she knew their breakup was likely final, forever. And fierce anger with Sloan over his uncaring attitude regarding his child. Anyone who claimed to know Callie so well would have known she'd put her child first, no matter the cost. It was down to Addison's not inconsiderable skill and pure luck that little Sofia arrived with so few complications despite the trauma to her mother's body.

"I thought you should know," Teddy finished softly, ignoring that she had deliberately omitted what Callie had said on coming out of the anesthesia. That would only hurt the woman in front of her unnecessarily.

Arizona shook her head, trying to clear it. "Thank you, Teddy." She tamped down her roiling emotions, mentally grasping for a change of topic, "You do realize this is like the first time in months you've not brought up your paper husband when we talk, right?"

Teddy wasn't fooled by her friend's caricature of an impish grin – Arizona's smile certainly didn't reach her eyes, but she allowed the diversion. "Because he's fine, and I'm exhausted. And there's nothing going on between Henry and I."

"Of course not," Arizona nodded. "It's all business between you and Mister Burton."

Feeling a blush creep up her neck, Teddy glared at her computer screen, "It is. Look, you need to tell me what's going to happen with the adoption application. Because you will be such a good mother, Arizona Robbins, and I need to meet that little girl."

Arizona let herself be distracted by her best friend's questions, answering as best she could. The process was complicated, and she was honestly afraid of it. But the end result she hoped for would be worth it.  _Zola_  was worth it.

X-X-X-X

Callie pushed herself in physiotherapy, wrestling with the stupid medicine ball. As long as she was in the hospital, so was Sofia. She could have allowed Addison to release her daughter to Mark, but she didn't trust him. Not at all, anymore. She had thought she knew him. But his behavior since she got pregnant, not even counting the ICU incident, had appalled her. She tried to think why that was. She didn't think he'd really changed much.

"What'd that medicine ball ever do to you, Torres?" came Bailey's voice from the doorway.

Callie dropped the ball in surprise, glaring at her friend, "It's keeping me, and Sofia, here. That's what. I can barely hold my own baby!" She felt the tears of frustration well, and wiped them away, her movements both clumsy and angry.

"She could go home. She's got two parents," Bailey pointed out matter-of-factly.

"She has me. And a manwhore. I don't trust him," Callie snapped.

Bailey stared at her old friend and coworker. They were close, but theirs wasn't a friendship of frequent emotional chats or declarations of affection. It was years of shared experience, shared struggle, shared work as exceedingly talented surgeons in their respective specialties. They'd been interns together, the only two women, and people of color, in their class. They'd survived losing friends and coworkers, together. They'd been there for important moments in each other's lives. And yet it was as if Miranda Bailey was truly seeing a new Callie Torres for the first time. Though she supposed it had been the same for Callie, years before, when her friend had snuck up after the bomb to visit her and an hours-old Little Tuck. Callie Torres was now a mother. A fiercely protective one, at that.

"I never thought I'd see this day, Torres," she said, softly, smiling. "You grew up, and stopped seeing Sloan with those rose-colored glasses you've always worn around him."

Callie stared, confused, "Bailey?"

She shook her head, grinning slightly, "You always saw Sloan as who he could be, not as who he actually is. And that's sweet of you to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he's crass, and crude, he treats women like dirt, and he's immature. Without Robbins, or, Lord forbid, Hahn, here to challenge him, call him on his crap, he's gone back to being that arrogant bastard the nurses went on strike against."

Callie settled in a nearby chair, every movement carefully planned even as her mind whirled with what Bailey had said to her. "Shit, you're right," she breathed. Arizona and Erica had always called Mark on his crap, had tolerated – barely – his presence in their lives for her sake. How had she not seen that before? Both her girlfriends had  _loathed_  him. And he'd given them ample reason to. While she had given an unspoken ultimatum – deal with his presence, or leave. Both had, in different ways. But in the end, she was left, alone with Mark.

"I usually am," Bailey said, allowing Callie the time to absorb her words. "Look, you have a responsibility to that baby girl. You do what you think is best for her. Whatever that ends up being."

"Have you met her yet, Bailey?" Callie pulled herself from her raging thoughts, and turned to her friend, smiling broadly at the mention of her daughter.

"I have seen her, yes of course. Haven't had the time to stop by the NICU when you've been there."

Callie rose slowly, accepting Bailey's proffered arm for support. "Well, I'm mostly done for today, so how about a little field trip? I'm sure Sofia really wants to meet her aunt Miranda."

"I will never turn down a chance to cuddle an adorable baby, Torres," Bailey grinned softly as she was led out the door.

X-X-X-X

She stood in the SGMW ICU, the cuts on her forehead aching, her head pounding, dressed in fresh scrubs over a battered, sore, dirty body. And she stood her ground, shouting. Shouting for  _her_  Calliope, shouting for  _her_  baby. Until Mark pulled out the big guns, the nuclear device of their argument, "No, you don't get a say! This is my family! I'm the father! I'm the father! You're not anything! You're nothing!" She felt his words like a slap across the face. No, like a knee to the gut, a sledge to the chest. Something inside her broke.

Suddenly the scene shifted to an OR; she felt the scrub cap on her head and the mask over her face. Monitors blared angrily, alerting everyone to a lack of heartbeat. "I'm taking the baby," she heard Addison Montgomery say. Suddenly a slimy baby was in her hands, but not a newborn. Instead, she set a vernix-covered Zola down on the available table, her little girl not breathing. Frantic mentally but with steady hands, she administered epi, she suctioned Zola's mouth, she performed chest compressions. She did everything, but still Zola didn't breathe. She vaguely heard Addison's voice from next to her say, "Time of death, 14:02," even as the screaming monitors heralded Callie's death as well.

Her surgical gloves covered in vernix and amniotic fluid, she brought her hands to her face and collapsed on the ground, screaming her throat raw. They were gone. Her future was gone. She had absolutely nothing left. So she screamed.

Until she bolted up in bed, panting. Her room was silent but for the sound of her breathing. Until she noticed the soft snuffling from the crib pushed up against the wall with bright pink and red letters spelling out ZOLA hanging above and a small mobile overhanging it. The crib had taken over six hours for two highly educated surgeons to put together. The directions were printed in five languages – three of which they spoke – and neither could make head nor tails of it. She'd almost let Alex just nail things in pell-mell before deciphering one crucial  _insert B tab into C slot_  diagram. The crib – a particularly nice piece of furniture that could be adjusted when needed into a toddler bed - had been a gift from Teddy and Bailey, shipped via her best friend's extensive military contacts and a rather large fee.

The snuffling was Zola's pre-wake up noise, giving her time to shake herself awake and wrap up in a bathrobe before sneaking over to rub Zola's back and hopefully head off the crying. The crying that had woken herself and Alex up four times in the last week. Her protégé invested in earplugs, and she had ingested even more coffee than normal as they adapted to having a baby in their tiny apartment. Getting to take Zola home so quickly had been a surprise, but given her position bringing the Carter-Madison funded clinic to Malawi, as well as her glowing recommendations and an overworked social services system desperate for good placements, she perhaps should have been prepared to have a baby before she had a crib, or a single diaper, ready. It had galled her Type-A personality, but care packages from Teddy, Bailey, and her mother had arrived the next day, full of soft cotton onesies, cloth diapers, baby sling, and the all important crib.

Zola being with her felt perfect. From the moment they walked in the door it had been right – more right than anything else in her life ever had before.

" _And this is your new home, big girl!" Arizona said to the infant in her arms the moment they walked into the cramped apartment. Zola looked around curiously, her dark eyes lighting up at the new surroundings._

_Alex followed the pair inside, automatically bolting the door behind him._

" _She's not even six months old, Robbins," he said, a tiny smirking grin twisting his lips._

" _Language develops before they speak, you know that, Karev," she shot back. "Which is why you read to kids."_

" _Last week you read her an article from American Pediatrics on hip dysplasia birth defects. I'm pretty sure that's not Horton Hears a Who."_

" _Yeah, well, I didn't exactly pack my Dr Seuss collection for this trip. Which means my mom has already realized that and we'll get a library's worth as soon as she buys out the local Borders," Arizona sighed._

" _I learned to read off a bar menu, didn't hurt me. She'll be fine with medical journals," Karev said, patting Zola gently on the head as he set down the pile of paperwork he'd brought home._

" _What did Bailey say once, you were raised out back with the trash cans? I think I can do a little better with Zola, no matter how well you turned out," Arizona grinned, swaying a bit to soothe the fussy girl in her arms. "Isn't that right, Zola? Your uncle Alex turned out okay, didn't he?"_

_Karev blushed bright red, and Arizona laughed._

Arizona grinned at the memory, even as she rubbed gentle circles on Zola. It wasn't quite enough to soothe, so she picked up her child and started a careful routine of rocking, walking, and gentle murmurs. Once Zola was deeply asleep once more, she settled on her bed, leaning against the headboard as she watched the child in her arms slumber. She had had many good and valid reasons for not wanting children for most of her adult life. Reasons involving her family history, her incredibly busy career, and her own self-doubts. Reasons she still honestly agreed with. Reasons she would never have even considered setting aside if not for Callie Torres. Reasons that (she hoped) would have crumbled no matter what the first time she met Zola. Ten thousand miles from home, she had found her family, her daughter.

X-X-X-X

Teddy settled by the breakfast bar, slouching on a stool as she chatted with Bailey softly. A small part of her felt duplicitous to be at Callie's welcome home party when she'd also recently sent a crib as a gift to Arizona, but most of her mind was quite happy to celebrate with her friends. Callie and April's car accident had scared a number of the staff, especially those who still remembered George O'Malley's death as well as the shooting. The hospital had been tense during the early stages of Callie's recovery, relaxing only when it was clear she would be able to return to work eventually and that her daughter was more than healthy. Sofia had become the darling of the nurses, charming those in the NICU and up on the floor where Callie had been staying during her recovery.

Ever since the first day after Callie woke up, Teddy had visited when she had a free moment. She hadn't been alone – Kepner had practically moved in to the room and Addison was usually ensconced in the corner with a pile of paperwork any time Teddy stopped by, after wheeling down Sofia in her bassinet for a visit. She liked Callie, respected her as a colleague and appreciated her as a friend. Frustrated and bored, Callie had been thankful for Teddy's random hospital gossip, fresh coffee from the good shop down the road, and regular gift of trashy magazines.

She also casually mentioned Callie's progress in recovery in her near-daily emails or chats with Arizona. She couldn't help it, even as Arizona glowed with a mix of exhaustion and happiness at her newfound motherhood, Teddy could see that she also hungered for knowledge of her ex. So Teddy stopped by, made small talk, cooed over the admittedly adorable baby, occasionally brought coffee for everyone, talked about cool surgeries, and then fed a steady stream of information to her best friend. "What is up with your face?" came Bailey's gruff question, startling her out of her thoughts.

Teddy blinked, shaking dark blond hair out of her eyes. "Nothing, nothing. Just thinking about our mutual friend," she intimated, in the vaguely subtle way they'd taken to once discovering they were both in contact with Arizona still.

"I sent her the file on the Blatchley child, she said she'd email me soon with her ideas," Bailey murmured softly. With Stark useless, Arizona and Karev gone, and Addison only an occasional visitor to Seattle, she'd started to take on many more pediatric cases, especially the more challenging ones.

"Tough case," Teddy replied, familiar with some aspects of the situation.

Almost in concert, their phones buzzed in their pockets. Glancing at each other, Teddy pulled hers from a pocket and Bailey from her purse on the breakfast bar. Teddy couldn't help the wide smile once she checked her messages. Arizona had sent a picture of Zola, her tiny butt up in the air as she slept in the crib they'd sent. She showed the picture to Bailey, who was skimming a detailed email from Arizona regarding her long-distance consult before checking the more personal note. Their smiles matched as they each read their messages and waited for the guest of honor to arrive.

X-X-X-X

Callie let Addison carry the diaper bag and her own small suitcase out of the hospital. With Sofia in her arms and April pushing the wheelchair, she was ready to leave after several weeks stuck inside - except for a couple of secret trips when her protégé had pushed her in a wheelchair up to the helipad on the roof for a breath of fresh air. The night was cool and clear, and once at the curb, she let Addison support her elbow to rise from the chair April held steady. After April jogged it back into the hospital, the trio made their way across the street to Callie's apartment, where Addison had been staying since she arrived. Callie wasn't quite sure where her friend would stay now – there was a twin bed in Sofia's room and a couch Addison had bought her as a remodeling gift was convertible – but the subject had yet to come up.

They were silent as they crossed the street and boarded the elevator to the fifth floor. Callie knew from checking the schedule that Mark was working, a burn case that had come in taking up all his attention as he monitored the skin he was growing for a much-needed graft. She had invited Addison and April to stay for awhile, get a pizza for dinner and relax on her first night home.

Callie let Addison unlock the door, her friend ushering her into her apartment for the first time in far too long. Hence why she was surprised to see a handful of her friends lounging around in the living area, sipping wine or beer or tequila and snacking on a few trays of store-bought hors d'oeuvres. Teddy and Bailey were by the breakfast bar chatting, Meredith and Cristina were taking shots while stuffing their faces with bruschetta, and Lexie – fresh off what ended up being a thirty hour shift – sprawled asleep on a couch, her lanky frame taking up the entire piece of furniture. Bailey was the first to notice Callie stock still in the doorway. The shorter woman smiled at the sight of a snoozing Sofia in Callie's arms, "Well, come on in, Torres, it's your home and your party." She pointed at an oversized, sparkly homemade banner reading ' _Welcome Home Callie and Sofia'_  hanging over the fireplace. She could recognize April's handwriting and penchant for sparkles in the decoration.

Callie felt happy tears gather in her eyes. The last few months had been horrible, but the women in her living room had made it bearable. Made it feel like she was doing the right thing and was in the right place for her future. Even those she'd never expected to support her had – Meredith was a surprise given their history, but the elder Grey had been quietly supportive once she got over the jealousy given her own fertility problems, while Lexie, who she had expected to forgive and eventually get back with Mark, had washed her hands of Sloan and drifted closer to April as Jackson descended into Sloan-style arrogance as the younger member of the Plastics Posse. Internally she sighed, not having expected to become such a focal point for the drama amongst her friends and coworkers but appreciating the support and camaraderie nonetheless.

"Well, let's get the party started, as long as it's quiet. Sleeping baby here," Callie grinned.

"Why don't you give her here, and grab something to eat?" Addison suggested.

"Sure," was the reply as she carefully transferred Sofia into her godmother's arms.

Addison glowed as she held her goddaughter. In the midst of her own family planning saga, she'd found a bit of peace in Seattle. April took Callie by the arm and led her over to the food, setting a plate in her mentor's hands and gesturing to the spread before them.

Things were looking up for Callie Torres. She was out of the hospital, her baby was healthy, and her friends surrounded her.

tbc…


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N1: My apologies on how long it's taken to get this chapter out. Life got in the way, the chapter just kept growing, and then I accidentally wrote large sections of the next few chapters. Whoops?
> 
> A/N2: Just to clarify, Arizona will stay in Malawi for her full 3 year grant term. And I'm not telling when Callie finds out about Zola, whom she does not know about yet – some of you seem confused about that. Also, everything I know about Malawi comes from its main Wikipedia article and a FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN) report, plus various online maps, including Google's satellite views. Please excuse any inaccuracies; I'm trying to be as vague as possible to avoid them. And I'm futzing with the timeline – the sinkhole and the Gunther happen in late November instead of September. Alex isn't in Seattle… remember that.

"All right, April, let's not freak out here," Callie said as her protégé rambled on about a case over the phone. Despite Callie's maternity leave, she hadn't left the younger surgeon in the lurch. Though technically assigned to Chang's service while Callie was on leave with Sofia, April had permission to call or stop by as often as needed to consult with her mentor. "Go back to the beginning."

"There's this patient, Carl Shatler. His dominant hand was crushed while he was on the job as a sanitation worker. But that's not important. The man is an _artist_ , he does these amazing wood carvings. And Chang says the only option is amputation of two fingers. Callie, it would be a crime to take away this man's art."

"Send me the x-ray?" She juggled Sofia into a more comfortable position and opened the email application on her laptop. "Sh-oot, yeah, that's bad. But we could… yeah. Look, talk to the chief. I'll take the patient, and you're scrubbing in with me."

"Oh, thank you! I'm sorry to bother you, but really…"

Callie laughed. "April, it's okay. I come back next week anyway. And you'll get a paper out of this for your fellowship application. Give me a half hour to drop Sofia at the daycare, and I'll be in."

"Of course! See you soon!" the perky resident hung up, obviously running off to speak to the Chief and the patient.

Callie laughed. She'd enjoyed her alone-time with Sofia during maternity leave, relishing the relationship she had with her tiny baby, but the urge to cut had never truly faded, and a case like this wasn't something she could pass on. She was going to guide April in rebuilding a hand, and this was a perfect teaching opportunity. Grabbing the diaper bag, she pulled a light jacket onto her daughter. As soon as the door was locked behind her, she dialed the Seattle Grace daycare. "Hi? This Callie Torres. I signed up Sofia for daycare next week? Well, there's this surgery. I'm hoping the paperwork has gone through so I can leave her with you for a few hours today, otherwise this guy is going to get his hand partly amputated instead of rebuilt. That's okay? Oh, thank you!" She hung up, already halfway across the street. If she and April had anything to say about it, Carl Shatler would be making art as soon as he finished PT. Despite the anxiety of leaving Sofia in daycare for the first time, this was a case she couldn't pass up.

The surgery wasn't without its bumps. April had already been thrown out before the hand could be fully stabilized during the initial procedure, and then the cardiac arrhythmia that popped up as they reconstructed his fingers led to some drama as Teddy tried to throw the pair of ortho nerds out of the OR. As soon as their patient was stabilized, they continued the reconstruction, scrubbing out after a successful procedure.

"Get used to that, Kepner," Callie said as she dried her hands. "Ortho isn't seen as very… popular. Or useful, sometimes. Even by people who know and respect us as doctors. We're just carpenters, right? But we rebuild bodies. Stand your ground. Like you did today."

"Is that why you're not worried about me getting the fellowship?"

"Well, yeah. Besides, that's technically under Chang, and everyone in the Ortho world knows he's biding his time before retirement while I'm the up and coming talent who does his work. You get it, he passes the mentoring off to me, because I do half his job anyway, and then we're golden. You keep learning, I keep my work-wife, and all is golden," Callie winked. Spending most of her workday with the younger redhead meant more than one rumor had circulated amongst the nurses that they were lovers, but the pair of them laughed and shrugged it off. "C'mon, let's go talk to Mr Shatler, and then does Aunt April want to see Sofia?" Callie grinned as Kepner nodded excitedly.

X-X-X-X

The fifth year residents – Kepner, Avery, Grey, Yang – had been butting heads for months. Part of it was the broken friendship between Kepner and Avery over whose side they took in Torres vs Sloan, each siding with their mentors. No one had really seen that coming; the two had almost clung to each other after Reed and Percy's deaths. And then Avery had happened upon Meredith fiddling with Derek's Alzheimer's trial. That had set Grey and Yang against him. On top of that, Derek and Meredith weren't speaking, and Meredith was living on Cristina's couch. The entire situation was a clusterfuck.

And then there was a sinkhole in the middle of the streets of Seattle, Owen and Callie sent out to bring back patients. After a young man couldn't bear to amputate his wife's leg, Owen had gone down into the sinkhole, because as he said, "If something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself for Sloan raising that little girl of yours."

Once the woman was back at Seattle Grace, Bailey and Callie convinced the Chief to use the patient as the Gunther case for their battling residents.

April hadn't made much headway as Chief Resident, but she _was_ Callie's ortho protégé, and she took strong control of the OR. Yang almost killed Avery with a syringe of adrenalin while April stepped in to control the rest of the actual procedure. And her later refinement of the stump for a prosthetic? Was enough to guarantee the woman an excellent chance at a normal life.

Callie grinned underneath her mask as she watched April close up the patient. It was nice seeing her skills passed down to another talented surgeon. And she'd won twenty bucks off of Bailey, who'd bet on Yang. Now they just had to work on her protégé's skills as chief resident. A challenge, given her own performance in the role, but one they were going to step up to.

X-X-X-X

Arizona juggled her crying baby as she tried to finish the last of the day's essential paperwork. Zola was in the midst of another bout of teething, her misery vocal. Even the frozen gel rings her mother sent only helped half the time. With a sigh, she put aside her work and let Zola gnaw on her fingers, the one relief the little girl always accepted.

Just as Zola calmed, Arizona's open skype application chimed. She sighed, resettling Zola for a second so she could accept Teddy's call. As Zola was about to cry again, she re-presented her finger for gnawing and gumming.

Teddy's tear-streaked face appeared on the screen, her expression morphing from pure misery to sympathy as she took in Arizona's frazzled visage and Zola's unhappy gaze. "Teething again?"

Arizona sighed, "Yeah. Someone is just not happy today." She cocked her head, studying her best friend. "What's up?" Teddy had been distraught in the month since Henry died, calling regularly from a variety of on-call rooms at the hospital as she'd very obviously not been home much.

"I went to a grief group tonight," came the awkward mutter.

"A grief group?" Arizona tried to sound excited, as unexciting as the concept really was. But it was hopefully something that would help her friend cope. She hadn't even met Henry in person but was at the point of cursing him for dying and hurting her friend so badly.

Teddy shook her head, "I got kicked out for laughing hysterically."

"Teddy…"

New tears tracked down a pale, haggard face. "I don't know what to do anymore, Arizona. He's everywhere. Here, the apartment, the grocery store we went to. I almost broke down when I had to operate in the OR where he died today."

Chewing on her lip, Arizona finally let her one reserve suggestion out, "Come visit. Take a leave of absence and come here for awhile. It will let you get away and process."

Teddy stared at her, tears continuing to fall as she contemplated her friend's suggestion. "What?"

"You're dying there." She muttered under her breath, "It's a common feeling in that hospital," before speaking more clearly: "Seattle Grace not a good place for you right now. Get away. Leave. But have the option to go back when you want to. Department head contracts usually have a clause for sabbaticals or leaves of absence, or at least mine did. Take one. Pack some bags and come stay on our couch and meet your goddaughter in person and see if that helps at all."

Her face softening, Teddy nodded slightly, "I'll check my contract. How long do you think I'll be welcome to your couch?"

"Well, I have a little less than two years left before _I_ head back. Let's say that." Arizona grinned slightly.

Eyes wide, Teddy grinned back, "You're planning to come back to Seattle? I thought you'd flee the entire Pacific Northwest. Or at least want to be closer to your folks."

Arizona frowned at the thought of living near her parents. She shook her head, "No, no. I can return if I want, it was part of being available to accept the Carter-Madison. They weren't surprised when I made them rewrite the standard sabbatical clause to be more specific, to return as an attending if not department head, even though I didn't expect to win at all. And they'd be idiots not to want me back; I'm great publicity if nothing else."

"They're idiots anyway. They chased away Karev with Stark's unchecked attitude. Now they're down their best peds surgeon _and_ her protégé."

She smirked, "I know. But their loss is Malawi's gain. And when we're ready to come back, they'll have a Carter-Madison winner and an extremely talented fellow." She glared lightly, "But don't you dare tell him I said that."

Teddy mimed zipping her lips shut, "Of course not. We don't tell the residents how very good they are. Ever."

Arizona winked. "So you'll consider visiting?"

With a nod, she replied, "Yeah. I think I will. I'll check my contract. I've got some savings, I can afford a bit of time away."

"You might get privileges in an up-and-coming pediatric clinic, you know. And we do offer a bit of funding for that," Arizona remarked off-handedly.

"Trying to tempt me with surgeries, Robbins?"

"Of course." Zola murmured in her lap, unhappy and tired. "Though… I think I need to get little miss home for the night. You going to be able to talk later, or should I just wait for an email with your arrival details?"

Taking a deep breath, Teddy said, "I think you should wait on that email. Arizona? Thanks."

"That's what friends are for, Teds. Even if we're half a world away." By mutual agreement, they closed the connection. Teddy turned to look into her contract, book plane tickets, and rent a storage locker for her belongings. Her apartment had come fully furnished, and the lease easy to break. She needed the escape, and Arizona had provided it for her.

X-X-X-X

"You're leaving?" Callie questioned. The gossip mill had been aflame all day when word came down that their cardio head was packing up her office.

Teddy nodded, signing off on her last chart. "I'm taking a leave of absence. I can't stay here, Callie. Not now."

Callie sighed, patting her friend on the arm. Their friendship had been precarious right after Arizona left, but the tentative friendship they had as girlfriend and best friend of girlfriend morphed into something much more solid as they discovered just enough in common to make them true friends. "Do you know what you're doing?"

Teddy cringed internally. She knew the answer would hurt the woman in front of her, one of her few real friends in Seattle. "I'm going to stay with a friend for awhile. Clear my head."

Callie studied her friend. "Okay. If you need anything, you know you can call me, right?"

"I know, Cal, I know. But it'll be pretty long distance. Don't worry about me."

"Teddy. Where are you going?" Callie had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"I'm going to Malawi. Arizona offered me her couch for a bit."

"She already stole Karev, now she's taking you too? Who's next? Bailey?" Callie could feel the anger building, even as she knew it was a good way for Teddy to get away. Nothing was more different from Seattle than Africa. Breathing deeply, she channeled the anger away, like her therapist had recommended. More than once her temper had caused her problems, and she wasn't going to burn bridges just because she shared a few friends with her ex.

Teddy laughed. "I don't think you could drag Bailey from this hospital with a chain and a tractor. You know she's going to end up our boss someday, don't you?"

They both broke into semi-awkward laughter at that. It was true. Even Derek and Owen deep down knew they were just place holders until Bailey had the seniority to take the job. "I know. Have a safe trip, okay? And… give her my best?" Callie added softly. The ache of Arizona's absence hadn't gone away, merely dulled into a constant feeling in a corner of her heart over the past fifteen months.

Teddy gathered up her friend into a gentle hug. "Of course, Torres. Of course."

X-X-X-X

Arizona fidgeted at the airport, Zola perched on her hip and looking around with an intense toddler curiosity. The pair of them got more than a few second glances from passerby, but she was becoming used to that subtle double take. As Teddy's plane disembarked its passengers she shifted closer to the gate, ready to meet her second Seattle friend at the Lilongwe airport.

At last she caught sight of her. Teddy was thinner than the last time Arizona saw her in person, and her shoulders were bowed with grief. Long, dark blond hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and her clothes were purely functional: a pair of loose-fit jeans and a long-sleeved button down shirt. Eyes that were glazed with a mix of bone-deep emotional exhaustion and travel grit brightened perceptibly when they caught sight of Zola clinging to her mother. A laptop carrybag on one shoulder and an overstuffed duffel on the other, Teddy moved through the crowd assuredly as she made her way towards her friend.

She stopped directly in front of them, a slow grin making its way across a face no longer used to smiling. "Well look at that. Arizona Robbins!" She offered a small wave to the shy toddler curling against her mother's neck. "Are you going to introduce me?"

Arizona grinned widely, boosting Zola in her arms, "Zola, big girl, this is your Aunt Teddy. Say hi?"

A shy wave preceded Zola burying her face in her mother's shoulder. The two women laughed softly, Teddy reaching out to clasp her friend's forearm in greeting. "I have a bag to fetch. Then we can go?"

Arizona nodded, "Need me to take your laptop?" Teddy handed over the briefcase with ease, sliding it onto her friend's shoulder alongside the straps for the backpack that served as both purse and diaper bag when Arizona went out with her daughter. "Baggage claim is this way."

"Lead on. And then can I beg for somewhere to sleep for a bit? I cannot sleep on planes."

"Sure, though we'll have to wake you up for dinner. Try to get some of your schedule back on track."

As they reached the baggage claim area, Teddy stopped her friend, set her duffel down at Arizona's feet, and waded into the crowd to grab her large suitcase. Wrestling it over to her friend, she reshouldered her duffel and wrestled her suitcase into a comfortable hold, then followed Arizona out to a battered pickup truck. She raised one eloquent eyebrow at the vehicle, then turned to her friend.

"I know, I know, but it's what I found after I got here for cheap. I share it with Karev and a couple of the other international doctors, actually."

"And you fit a carseat in that thing?"

"There's a seat in back. It's a little cramped, but it works."

"And my bags go?"

"Keep your laptop on you, and throw the others in the back. There's rope there to secure them. Do a good knot, the road's a bit bumpy out to the clinic."

Teddy shook her head, letting Arizona unlock her door as she looped and tied the rope through the handles of both of her larger bags, then climbed into the passenger seat. Zola was already settled and strapped in, Arizona buckling her seatbelt and starting the truck as Teddy put her laptop case between her feet and closed the door.

"It's about an hour or so away, depending."

They were both silent as Arizona navigated them away from the airport towards the clinic, paved roads turning to uneven dirt the further they went and Zola napping in the backseat. Teddy nodded off intermittently, coming to every time the truck went over a particularly bad bump.

Pulling up to the staff housing, Arizona nudged her best friend awake. Teddy yawned, stretching a bit as she got out. Her eyes wandered over the buildings. It wasn't just a clinic or a small hospital. It was more like a compound. The largest building was the hospital, newly built with shining windows and freshly painted walls. Solar panels littered the roof, and she could see diesel-powered backup generators behind a sturdy fence not too far away. The front of the building was dominated by a large entrance, and the side had the small ER. There was a dirt parking lot – currently with one car, two motorcycles, numerous bicycles, and one very cranky looking donkey. Behind she could see part of the school for both patients, their families, the staff's older children, and locals, children running around playing outside during a recess. Surrounding all the buildings were fields of corn, beans, various vegetables, and a couple of small pastures for livestock. Chickens pecked around the far side of the apartment building, a large coop right next to it.

The apartment building for staff was long, wide, and five stories tall. Arizona pulled Zola out of her seat, settled her daughter on her hip, and helped her best friend drag her things inside. There was a small lobby with staircases at either end going up. At one hand was a laundry room alongside a row of mailboxes and to the other a small daycare. Currently the daycare housed mainly the children of local staff, but already the people she'd brought in with their families from outside the region were starting to settle and expand. A doctor's wife was expecting their second child, and a nurse was pregnant. It was a sign of the faith they had in Arizona, to keep the clinic running well even after her scheduled departure in two years, and it was something of which she was very proud. Yet another reason Arizona was glad she'd come, even if her personal life had seemed to shatter in Sea-Tac. She led her best friend up the stairs to the second floor and the first door to the right. Labeled with just a number – 201 – it opened with a quick twist of Arizona's key.

The apartment was not large by American standards. Upon entering was a small kitchen. A wooden table sat next to it, piled high with charts and paperwork, a high chair pulled up to one side. One futon couch facing towards the windows separated the kitchen/dining area from the living space. A second couch against a wall was obviously meant to be Teddy's – at one end were stacked folded blankets and a pillow. There was a coffee table made of a wooden crate in between the two couches, and the rest of the living space was utilized by a pack 'n' play with a toychest shoved in the corner. There was free space where a blanket was littered with a handful of toys.

"Home sweet home. The couch is yours but I've made space in my room for your clothes and luggage. And as I've fallen asleep on the couch many a time, I can promise a good night's rest." Arizona grinned, shutting the door behind them and quickly settling Zola into the playpen. "C'mon, let's get your stuff put away and then you can take a nap. You're welcome to my bed, just to get a bit of peace."

"I'm a _doctor_ , Arizona. I can sleep through a bit of noise," Teddy laughed.

"Say that to me again when she goes through her next round of teething," Arizona replied, grinning. She dragged Teddy's duffel behind her as they moved into the main bedroom. There was just enough space for a double bed to be jammed in the corner, a large chest of drawers that reached Teddy's chin, a crib, and a small changing table that doubled as Zola's dresser. "I don't have much non-work clothing here anyway, so I just shoved everything over for you, and you're welcome to the top drawer of the dresser. Depending on how long you stay, we can get some plastic bins for your things and keep them in the living room. The hamper's in the bathroom. If the door's shut that means someone's in there, so mind that unless you want to walk in on one of us; it doesn't have a lock."

Teddy nodded. "Is a quick shower okay before I get some rest?"

"Sure. This time of day you should have plenty of hot water."

Twenty minutes later, a refreshed Teddy Altman in yoga pants and a loose tee stretched out underneath one of the blankets on the couch. Arizona was at the table immersed in paperwork while Zola watched a Sesame Street DVD from her playpen on their small TV.

"Oh, I like this episode!" Teddy said, "I love Sesame Street; it's so comforting. It's almost like I've actually been there."

Arizona laughed softly as her friend slowly drifted off to sleep while watching children's programming. She turned her attention back to the budget reports in front of her.

X-X-X-X

Waking up from her nap, Teddy was surprised to see Alex Karev puttering over several pots on the small stove while wearing an apron over his sleeveless tee and sweatpants. She could hear splashing and high-pitched toddler laughter from the bathroom and assumed Arizona was giving Zola her bath. Stretching, she sat up on her couch-bed. As promised, it was comfortable. She'd certainly slept on worse in the Army. Even if it was hers for the next two years she'd be happy. Just getting away from Seattle and the constant reminders of Henry was enough to provide a bit of lift to her spirits.

"Dinner's in ten!" Alex called from the stove.

"Uncle Alex is gonna wake Aunt Teddy up!" came the scolding rejoinder from the bath.

"I was already awake," Teddy replied as Arizona stepped into view, holding Zola, wrapped in a large fluffy towel, in her arms.

"Well, if you could set the table, that's great," Arizona grinned.

"Not even here a day and putting me to work, eh, Robbins?"

Arizona shrugged, "Idle hands are the devil's work. At least, my gram said that all the time when she was making me do chores."

Teddy shook her head as she moved towards the cabinets, following Alex's gruff instructions of where everything was as he finished preparing their meal. Surprising her, it smelled delicious.

The next hour passed in a haze of food and light conversation. Alex and Arizona regaled her with tales of their patients, successfully distracting her from the entire reason she was in Malawi to begin with. She drooled at some of the complex surgeries they'd done, and even offered a consult on a particularly challenging cardiac case. Through it all, they subtly included Zola in their interactions, displaying sides to both of them Teddy had not expected. Arizona was doting and obviously delighted with everything about her daughter. Alex was gentle and warm – not traits he was known for in Seattle, at least within a dozen paces of an adult.

Arizona cleared the table and washed the dishes; she chattered to all three of them, as Alex kept watch while Zola played on her blanket in the living area. Teddy sat at the table between them, watching the comfortable interactions of the household.

"Oh, she did the cutest thing yesterday! And I got a picture. I would have emailed it to you, but you were already on your way here," Arizona said, grinning widely. Drying her hands, she moved over to the living area, settling on the couch and patting the empty seat beside her as she grabbed her laptop from the coffee table. Clicking through a folder, she pulled up a snapshot of Zola with a plastic bucket on her head in the tub.

Teddy laughed, grinning at both the adorable picture and the happiness oozing off her best friend. "Never thought I'd say this, but you are such a mom, Arizona."

Arizona nodded. "The rest of my personal life might be crap, but she's perfect."

Patting her best friend's hand, Teddy smiled softly, "I think you're perfect together."

X-X-X-X

April Kepner watched her mentor move with smooth assurance in the kitchen. Late in Callie's maternity leave, the attending had started having a Ladies Night, infrequently, in her apartment. April assumed it was to have something approaching adult conversation while staying at home with a newborn, but it generally meant a home-cooked meal, a moderate amount of wine, and usually a movie. Invitees were, depending on who was free, April herself, Teddy before she left, Bailey, Lexie, Cristina, and Meredith. Though Cristina generally bemoaned the lack of tequila, Callie enforced a strict no-drunkenness rule due to the sleeping baby in the other room.

As the fifth year residents started to study for their boards, it became a slightly more regular occurrence. Callie was a great mentor, and her flash cards for the intern exams were Seattle Grace legend, but her study method for the boards was utterly brilliant. As her protégé, April got that method every day, hammered into her head while they were between patients, but she didn't begrudge Callie helping the other fifth years, or inviting Lexie and Bailey for the dinners. Having a gifted fourth year like Lexie around, who could quote all the info they needed off-hand, if she'd read it, and an experienced general surgeon like Bailey there, was icing on the cake, especially since once dinner was done, studying was put aside for socializing or a DVD, once Sofia and Tuck were put to bed, of course. Bailey tended to control the movie selection by sheer force of personality and having a DVD in her purse, so everyone had seen _Star Wars_ and _Serenity_ now, as well as the entire run of "Firefly."

And April always came early if she could, to entertain Sofia while Callie cooked, or to stir the pot while Callie grabbed a quick shower. It was a comforting routine. A little like being at home on the farm, though her mother didn't make ropa vieja, or pastelitos, let alone Callie's amazing take on frijoles negros that she'd learned from her family's cook as a child. April and Bailey had taken turns in the kitchen sometimes as well, April her mother's mac and cheese recipe, and Bailey a particularly tasty stir fry she'd learned from her college roommate. It was fun, and homey, and exactly what the surgeons needed to decompress together after a long day, or week.

X-X-X-X

Teddy stalked into the apartment, full of anger but also quiet in deference to her goddaughter's naptime.

Arizona was sprawled on the couch, a heap of paperwork in her lap. "What's wrong?" she said, wary of the tall blonde raging silently.

"What. is. up. Karev's. _ass_?" she hissed. "I have seen him grumpy before. He can even manage vaguely charming as a grump. Today he was just a full fledged Neanderthal berserker."

Her face falling, she shook her head, "It would be his third anniversary today. But it isn't. He's a bit upset."

Rage deflating, Teddy settled on her couch. "I only heard a few murmurs about that in Seattle. She left the residency program before I arrived, didn't she?"

Arizona nodded, "She did. I can't recall when she sent him the divorce papers exactly, but they weren't married for very long at all." She grimaced at her memories, "In fact, their wedding was the night Callie and I first spent together. Izzie was the woman Callie's ex-husband cheated with. So she didn't feel much of a need to enjoy the reception, even on Karev's behalf. We ducked out early."

"Bad day, then. Explains why you were scowling all through that valve repair we did this morning."

"Yeah."

"A few different choices made, and neither of you would be sitting here three years later, together, changing all kinds of lives for the better," Teddy said, rising from her seat. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Arizona watched Teddy move around their small kitchen with confidence, brewing a pot for them to share. She didn't like to think about Callie. Not with how her life, in some ways, was going fantastically. She loved her job, loved the difference she was making, loved her daughter beyond words, and even loved living in the tiny apartment with her two closest friends (except when there was a line for the bathroom). But for a moment she let herself wallow in the memories of Callie sprawled beneath her, a mixture of desire and nervousness on her beautiful face, as they finally succumbed to the near-constant state of arousal they'd shared for weeks.

For a moment she remembered the feel of Callie in her arms, under her fingertips, the taste of her. For a moment, she let herself want that back. And she burst into tears, guilt weighing heavily as she cried for her living, breathing Calliope when Teddy was still grieving for Henry.

"I know I shouldn't cry over Calliope, because she's alive, I'm sorry, Teddy," she whispered brokenly as Teddy gathered her into the circle of her arms.

Teddy rubbed a circle on her best friend's back soothingly. "Don't you dare. Grief is grief. And you feel like you lost the love of your life."

"So did you."

Teddy sighed. "I love… loved Henry. A lot. More than I thought I could. But he wasn't the love of my life."

Arizona looked up at her best friend with red eyes. "Please don't say Owen. You know that ship has sailed."

"I'm not that pathetic!" Teddy laughed softly, with a hint of bitterness. "No, not Owen. He was… more of a rebound, I think. I know Owen's told the story of why I have butterflies on my scrub caps."

"Yes, your friend Marie, who died in the Twin Towers."

"That's the story I told in the Army. Under Don't Ask Don't Tell." Teddy raised an eyebrow at her best friend.

"Oh." Arizona's eyes were wide. She'd often thought her gaydar "pinged" on her best friend, but figured it was unexplored territory for the other woman.

"Yeah. And she did like birds. But it's more a reference to _Annie on My Mind_ than anything. She read that book in high school, and said she wanted to take me to San Francisco, so we could look for our little white birds together." Teddy took a deep breath, and a tear ran down her face. "We'd been together five years when the towers collapsed. So I stuffed down my grief to friend-acceptable levels and enlisted. I loved Henry, don't get me wrong, but I think half the sobbing is for Marie, too, because I never really got the chance before. And I've yet to figure out if she was _the_ love of my life, or just _a_ love _in_ my life."

"Teddy…" Arizona wrapped an arm around her best friend, rocking the other woman gently, as she might her daughter, as Teddy had been doing for her as she cried.

"And I'm sure you're thinking, why didn't my best friend even mention she was bisexual! But after a few years under DADT, I just got so used to not talking about it. Owen certainly doesn't know. And I lost touch with a lot of Marie and I's friends while I was in Iraq. It still hurts. To not have her in my life."

Arizona smoothed her friend's hair back, shushing her softly as the other woman cried. "It's okay. My brother served under DADT. He protected a few guys he found out about, he told me all about the silence." She didn't add that he'd begged her never to enlist because of it. "Teddy… why don't you tell me all about Marie?"

And so she did.

X-X-X-X

Teddy Altman looked out the living area window, Zola carefully balanced on her hip. The hospital was as self-sufficient as it could be – part of Arizona's plan for it to maintain its own resources on a basic level and reduce the supplies trucked in. Electricity came from solar panels and their internet and phone service came from a large satellite dish on the roof. Locals had been hired to tend livestock and grow crops for the cafeteria and staff, supplementing the foodstuffs trucked in for them. Arizona had gotten chickens for the courtyard of the staff housing. It was all designed so that the hospital could function as much as possible on its own, feeding its staff, patients, and their families whenever possible. All this meant that Teddy looked down on clucking chickens, could see fields of corn, legumes, rice, and millet further away. There were cows and goats grazing, providing milk for the children and pregnant women.

It was a far different life compared to what she'd led in Iraq, or in Seattle. A slower pace than a precise military unit in the midst of war, or a big-city hospital. Not that there wasn't urgency. They were treating children, and some adults – mostly expectant mothers, for major illnesses and injuries. There was a clinic within the hospital they all rotated into that dealt with the kinds of things a primary care physician would in the US, provided vaccines and vitamin supplements, and offered prenatal care. Teddy had delivered more babies in the past year than she had during the rest of her entire career. And it was rewarding, even as she broadened her medical scope beyond pure cardio for the first time since residency. There were challenges, of course. Sometimes simple parasites became entrenched in a body to the point that they ate at the heart. There were birth defects or accidents that required her highest level of skill. Overall she felt herself stretch, as a doctor and as a person.

She had sworn off relationships for her time in Malawi. She needed to grieve, both Henry and Marie, and find herself again in that way. Instead, she devoted herself to her friends, her goddaughter, and her patients.

X-X-X-X

"Alex, I need you for my five year old's esphogial ateriga surgery in twenty!" Arizona pounced on her protégé as he came out of the restroom, directing him as she strolled down the hall towards the patient's room.

"Right, let me pass off this bowel resection, Robbins!" he replied. Grabbing his patient's chart, he scanned their surgical board. "Gaudet," Alex flagged down one of the French surgeons that had come from Doctors Without Borders a few months beforehand, "Can you take this? Kid's already waited a few days. Robbins wants me."

"Oui, of course, Doctor Karev," nodded the older surgeon. With that, Alex headed off to the OR that was being prepped for Arizona's surgery. His boards were coming up, and it was close to a year and a half he'd been in Malawi. Between Robbins and Altman, he had been carefully prepped, quizzed, and mentored for the tests he would face in a few months' time. He was certainly ready.

X-X-X-X

Two months into her stay in Malawi, Teddy Altman thought she noticed a pattern. Once a week, generally in the evening, usually on a Friday, Arizona would use skype to talk to her mother, usually with Zola on her lap so the delighted woman could also speak with her only grandchild. As Teddy tended to be in the apartment at the same time, she often tried to give her friend privacy, staying in her best friend's room during the conversations and only leaving it to use the bathroom or fetch a drink from the kitchen. From what snippets she overheard and what she knew of her friend's family situation, the Colonel was retired. And yet though the conversations occurred usually around late morning to early afternoon for Barbara Robbins, her husband never joined in, no matter the day of the week.

When she mentioned this observation to Alex, he shrugged, "He stopped talking to her around the time she petitioned to adopt Zola. She won't say anything."

Nine months in, her position settled and long back from her brief jaunt to the States to pack up her Seattle apartment, she listened to the tail end of another evening conversation between Arizona and her mother. She'd chatted briefly with Barbara Robbins on several occasions so far, finding that the older woman had a lot in common with her daughter. Including her tells for stress. Barbara Robbins was hurting. Badly. And yet still overjoyed to have a granddaughter, to see Arizona living her professional dreams. Even at the cost of the woman Barbara thought her daughter would eventually marry.

The package was innocuous, arriving in mid-December. A flat rate international box from Arizona's mother, a few new sets of clothes for an ever-growing Zola and a handful of Christmas gifts for all of them. Somehow, Teddy and Alex, distanced from their own families, had become part of Barbara's. All the gifts for Zola were labeled, "to Zola, from grandma, with love" while the gifts for the adults were from "Mom" or "Barbara" alone.

As Arizona chatted with her mother, Teddy lingered in the apartment's common area.

Arizona closed the skype connection, and then shut down the laptop itself. Sighing, she lifted Zola onto her shoulder, and stood. With quick, efficient movements, she changed her daughter's diaper, then slid the little girl into her pajamas. Humming gently, she settled Zola into her crib, putting on the nightlight and partially closing the bedroom door behind her.

An ungraceful flop settled her onto the couch next to Teddy, who was buried in the latest cardio journal. Glancing up, Teddy murmured quietly, "How's your mom?"

"She's fine," was the short, stressed reply.

One blond eyebrow climbed Teddy's forehead. "And your father?"

At the stove, making their dinner, Alex chimed in, "She doesn't talk to him anymore, drop it, Altman." At Arizona's dark glare, he shrank back, "Sorry, boss."

Looking between the two of them, Teddy grimaced. "Karev, if I keep stirring that, can you go to your room for a bit? I need to talk to Arizona in private."

"Sure, just don't let it stick to the bottom of the pot," he shrugged, handing her the spoon as she crossed the kitchen to him. Pulling off his apron, he shuffled to his room, closing the door. The quiet sound of music drifted into the living room within a minute.

"We're going to talk, like civilized people," Teddy started, pulling the apron on and gesturing with the spoon before she resumed stirring. "And there won't be any shouting, because we don't want to wake Zola, and you can't give me the silent treatment or else." She watched as Arizona crossed her arms. "I have been here for months. I have watched you have regular conversations with your mom in that time. You have _never_ talked to or about your father that I've seen. You used to talk to the both of them at least once a week, that I saw. And that's from working odd shifts together and seeing you at the nurse's station in peds chatting away. So what the hell has changed?"

Arizona ground her teeth. "None of your business, Teddy."

"No, I think it is. Because that is my goddaughter in your room, and you are my best friend, so you are _family,_ Arizona Robbins, and therefore the very definition of _my business_. Especially when it obviously upsets you," Teddy disagreed, her voice firm.

Several minutes passed in silence except for Alex's soft music and Teddy puttering in the kitchen. "He doesn't believe in adoption," Arizona murmured.

Teddy stopped stirring for a moment, thunderstruck, "He _what?"_

Arizona shook her head, "Family is blood, and that's it. For him, anyway. He doesn't accept that Zola is my daughter, and so I haven't talked to him since I decided to adopt her."

"What the fuck?" was Teddy's hissed reply.

Arizona hugged herself tightly, "I knew it would happen. But Zola was more important to me than him."

"You knew?"

She nodded, "Mom always wanted a big family. But her pregnancy with me and Tim was hard. She couldn't have another. And right around the time I started to understand how family works, his sister adopted my cousin. So I asked mom why couldn't we do the same thing so Tim and I could have a little brother or sister." She shook her head at the memory. "My mom was born to be a mother. She would have taken in every foster kid in a hundred miles and loved them all as her own. The Colonel, he didn't like even the idea. Didn't think he could love a kid that wasn't his by blood." Snorting in disgust, Arizona continued, "And it became this bone of contention for them. She _never_ stood up to him about _anything_ , but she wanted more kids so badly."

Teddy's face was a study in anger, with a bit of horror thrown in. There was so much underneath what Arizona was saying to her, so much that explained her best friend without saying it outright. And she was also a bit shocked that Arizona was saying as much as she was. Though perhaps the exhaustion of a toddler with colic was enough to lower her friend's inhibitions and tendency to silence.

"And my cousin, Jeff? Well you know how parents will struggle to conceive, choose to adopt one kid, and then get pregnant? Happened to my aunt and uncle. And my father always treated Jeff's little brother, Robbie, better than he ever treated Jeff. It was subtle, but I saw it. Tim saw it. And Jeff, fuck he saw it too. Little things, they add up." Tears started to run down her face as she spoke. "And I could get pregnant, so he doesn't understand why I don't want to pass on the Robbins blood. I'm the last one, after all, with Tim gone," her voice cracked completely. "I know if I gave birth, he'd treat that child better than Zola. So I'm not giving him the chance to. I won't inflict that on my daughter. I won't let him hurt her like he hurt us."

Squaring her jaw, Teddy nodded, "You protect your family, Arizona. But I want you to realize, you and that wonderful little girl have more family than you think. You have your mom, sure. But you have me, and you have that imitation Neanderthal," she jerked her head in the direction of Alex's room, "who crawls around on the floor after Zola like a big puppy."

Arizona laughed roughly at the accurate description of her protégé. The man who never really had a childhood reveled in making sure Zola enjoyed hers. "I know. Thank you, Teddy."

With a sad smile, she replied, "No. Thank you for giving me a place here. It was exactly what I needed." The two of them fell silent, Teddy continuing to stir the pot. Several minutes passed, until Alex stuck his head out of his room.

"Are you two finished with your heart to heart? I have food to make if you want dinner."

The two women burst out laughing.

X-X-X-X

The beer was an import, a blessed European dark lager Alex found in one of the Lilongwe markets, something familiar from Arizona's teen years on a West German military base. In the waning days of the Cold War, she and Tim and Nick had snuck out to a bar, drinking beer and checking out girls together. She'd made a face at every sip of the on-tap brew, not yet used to the hoppy flavor, and had had to keep from visibly drooling over a tall and dark-haired woman sitting at the bar a dozen feet away. Years later she'd had the same reaction to Callie Torres at Joe's while holding a glass of white wine. She squashed _that_ thought quickly.

Twenty years later, her daughter asleep in bed a room away, Tim dead and Nick only god knew where, she sipped at a bottle of that same beer, savoring it. Teddy was curled up on the futon placed kitty-corner to her couch, reading the most recent _Journal of Cardiothoracics_. Alex was sprawled on the floor on a pile of pillows, going over schedules for her. She was good at making schedules, but usually needed someone to look over what she'd done because she had the bad habit of double-booking herself or forgetting to put in enough time for her to sleep despite being meticulous about breaks for everyone else.

A solid knock on the door disturbed their quiet. Bolting up to answer before Zola could be woken up by the noise, Arizona jumped to the door. She wrenched it open, and stared.

"Nick?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I could not resist the Sesame Street reference. If you don't get it, look up Kim Raver on IMDB. Also, the Colonel's opinion on adoption is disgusting to me, but sadly it's not unrealistic.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I suck at the regular update thing, don't I? I'm so sorry. Nick's story is a bit different here, for which he is very thankful. Also, the timeline is starting to bend away from canon a bit more, starting in this chapter. You might recognize big events, but don't expect them to happen in the same order or manner as in canon.

"Nick?!" Arizona flung open the door and jumped into the arms of a tall, lean, dark-haired man in the hall. He dropped both the duffel slung over his shoulder and the cane in his hand to catch her.

"Hey Yuma," he murmured, grinning over her shoulder at Teddy and Alex who had both risen from their seats at Arizona's excited cry. As his ribs started to protest her hug, a tiny voice rang out from the apartment.

"Momma?"

Arizona immediately released him from her embrace, holding him up gently as he regained his balance until she stooped to pick up his cane for him. "I'll be right back. You get inside." She grabbed his duffel as he followed her, limping heavily, into the apartment. Setting it gently against the wall, she disappeared into her bedroom and returned with a sleepy Zola in her arms.

Nick stared for a moment, and then muttered softly, "Your mom told me, but I didn't quite believe it."

Arizona beamed at him. "You talked to mom?"

He nodded, a small grin making its way across his face as he observed mother and daughter, "Before I came here. I was going to try to visit her a few months ago, but the flights just didn't work out. You get me first." He moved more into the apartment, towards an empty spot on the nearest couch. Arizona studied his movements even as she stroked Zola's back, letting her daughter wake up slowly from her nap.

"That's good, because I'm going to send her with you when you go to the hospital. How long have you needed surgery, Nick?"

"Eh, a couple months? Maybe six? I was in the middle of my shoot at the base of K2..."

Arizona sighed, shaking her head before she kissed Zola's head softly. "Nick…"

"I finished the project and came right here, Tempe. We knew it was likely to happen."

Arizona nodded reluctantly, "How's your pain?"

He shrugged, "I'm managing."

"Well sit down, okay? Do you want something to drink? Eat?"

"I want to meet my niece, first. And I never thought I'd say  _that_ to _you._ " He grinned at her.

Blowing a lock of hair from her face, she grinned back at him. She turned to her daughter, whose face was buried sleepily in her momma's neck. "Hey big girl," she said soothingly, "I want you to meet your uncle Nick. Remember, I told you about him? Uncle Tim and I's best friend?" With a tiny nod, Zola lifted her head up and turned, studying Nick as he lounged on the couch, beaming at her.

"Hi, Zola," he said softly. With a tiny wave, she buried her face once more in Arizona's neck.

The adults all smiled. "She's shy when she's not totally awake," Arizona explained.

The bubble around the two old friends expanded when Alex coughed lightly. Blinking, Arizona colored in embarrassment. "Sorry, these are my friends and roommates, Teddy Altman, Cardio, and Alex Karev, Peds."

Nick grinned broadly, offering a wave at the two bemused surgeons, "Nick Peters, Photographer, formerly 3rd Ranger Battalion."

Teddy's eyebrow climbed her forehead at that, "Ranger huh?"

"Until my convoy blew up and my best friend died next to me, yeah," Nick replied, his grin tightening slightly. "Got myself blown up too, a bit."

"And you should have been able to put off a hip replacement for a few more years if you'd taken it easy," Arizona sighed, setting Zola down as she started to squirm. Her daughter toddled unsteadily towards the small toychest, settling down with a handful of blocks.

Nick shrugged, "Full steam ahead, Flagstaff."

"Not to the point where you're unable to walk, Nick! We'll take some x-rays tomorrow, but we can't do your procedure. Take mom with you, she'll be glad to help while you recover."

"And where should I go, exactly?"

The three surgeons studied different corners of the room before Arizona sighed, "Seattle. Go to Callie. She's the best."

"Her hip replacements have a much quicker recovery period," Alex added gruffly.

"Your ex?"

Arizona nodded.

X-X-X-X

Exhausted, April dumped the last box from the moving van onto the floor of her new living room. Across the apartment, in the kitchen area where Callie was unpacking boxes for them, Sofia squirmed and whimpered at the noise. One hand set down a glass and rubbed a gentle circle on the toddler's back.

"Last box. Thank God," April remarked to her mentor with an apologetic grimace.

Callie smiled, shaking her head gently. "At least until Little Grey's stuff arrives," she corrected.

"Last box of  _my_  things. And she has a manly borrowed minion to haul things for her."

A snort was her response, "I think you mean Derek I-can't-possibly-risk-damaging-my-hands Shepherd."

April frowned, considering. And then she sighed, nodding, "Yeah, probably." She flopped down onto the small loveseat she'd found at a tag sale the week before. "Thank you for recommending us to the super. I wasn't sure where I was going to live…" She trailed off, thinking of being told that Meredith and Derek's dream home was finally finished, and that Meredith would be selling her late mother's house. "Meredith said we could stay for awhile, while she had the house shown, but…"

"I get it, you wanted your own space as soon as possible," Callie finished for her protégé. "And I mean, this isn't quite as nice as my place, but it's close to the hospital, and for your fellowship that's a definite plus. All the nice ortho traumas come in through the ER."

Looking around her new apartment, April shrugged. It wasn't as large as Callie's apartment – the living area about half the size, no fireplace, only one bathroom – but there were two bedrooms and the kitchen was just as well appointed as the more luxurious 502. "Lexie was sleeping in the  _attic_. I'm okay with sharing a bathroom, and it's easier to share with just one person than with a whole houseful."

"True! And if you need space, you can always babysit," Callie winked as she unwrapped another plate. "Did your parents buy you a whole dinnerware set? For six?"

April nodded, "For med school. I've had it all in storage since I moved into Meredith's house. They thought I could either host a dinner party or go a few days without doing dishes."

Callie snorted, "They thought  _you_ 'd put off cleaning? Seriously?" She pulled out a travel mug with a local yoga studio's logo emblazoned on it. "You do yoga?"

Shaking her head, April replied in a small voice, "No. That's Reed's." She rose from her seat, moving over to help Callie unpack the kitchen boxes. "Do you think I should wash everything? They've been in storage so long…"

"I've already got most of them in the dishwasher," Callie said, pointing to where most of the place settings were arranged neatly in the machine. "We can just leave the rest out on the counter until you can swap things off." She reached out and gently squeezed her friend's shoulder. "What time is your bed supposed to be delivered by?"

"Six." April smiled gently at her mentor, and reached out to tickle Sofia's tiny foot. "But you don't have to stay. As long as someone was in here in case they showed up while I was carting boxes, that's all I needed."

"C'mon, Kepner. I'm not gonna leave you to deal with everything on your own. Moving's a pain. Let me drag down the playpen so little miss can have her nap, and we'll get the kitchen set up before your new bed gets here. We'll order a pizza for dinner, and tomorrow morning you come with me to the farmer's market."

"Deal," April declared, holding out her arms for Sofia, "I'll take Sofia, you grab the playpen."

Callie threw back her head, laughing. "You just want cuddle time." Gently, she pulled Sofia out of the baby bjorn and handed the little girl to April with a quick kiss to a tiny forehead. "I'll be right back."

April cuddled Sofia close to her chest, grinning as the baby curled into her embrace. It was a good day.

X-X-X-X

Nick laid back on the cold metal table, letting his mind wander as his best friend ran scan after scan on his hip and knee. The x-ray room was fairly cheerful, painted in a warm pastel that matched the ceiling mural of boldly colored elephants, hippos, antelopes, buffaloes, zebras, warthogs, and jackals.

Arizona had left the intercom on, and he could hear the clucking of her tongue as the images of his hips and leg appeared on the screen.

"Hip and knee?" he asked, resigned, from his position on the table.

"Yeah," she replied, sighing. "The wear on your knee is bad enough to require it." She flipped a switch, the x-ray machine powering down. "We're done. I'm downloading these and then we can get out of here."

For a few minutes he laid still, listening to his best friend mutter to herself. As soon as she appeared in his vision, he let her pull him up, sitting carefully on the table. He frowned at the look on her face. "Tempe, it can't be that bad, can it?"

Punching him lightly in the shoulder, she replied, "I don't know how you're coping with the pain, to be honest."

"So you put me in  _more_  pain? Great plan!" he groused, a grin splitting his lips.

"Oh shut up." She studied him, the set of his shoulders and the expression on his face. "I don't want to send you across the world alone. It looks like your knee could give out at any time. How about you travel with Alex as far as Los Angeles next month? He's going to take his boards, and can help you navigate the airports. Have mom meet you in Seattle. You'll only have one fairly short flight without someone to help you and he can escort you as far as the gate."

Nick smirked at his best friend, "Any excuse for more time with you and my adorable little niece."

Arizona's expression changed to the bright smile that always seemed to accompany mention of her daughter. Grabbing Nick's clothing from where it was folded on a chair in a corner of the room, she moved to help him change out of the hospital gown he had on.

X-X-X-X

Alex Karev grumbled as he shuffled the large pile of index cards in front of him. The tiny seat tray was overflowing, even with the addition of Nick's tray next to him. The other man groaned softly, stretching a bit in his cramped seat. As the flight attendant moved to their row to inquire about drinks, Nick's knee accidentally knocked at the table, making the cards slide all over their laps. Alex swore angrily, earning a hairy eyeball from the mother of a small child sitting in front of them.

Nick slapped his hands away from the careening piles of notecards. "Relax man," he said. Turning to the attendant, he said, "A beer for my friend, please." He plucked the disorganized pile up and shifted it into his lap. "You need to relax. You're worse than Tempe was, leading up to her boards."

Alex glared at his overly-cheerful companion, but also curious as to how his mentor had coped with the same stress he was currently under. "I'll relax when I pass."

"You will," Nick replied simply. "Scottsdale does not waste her time. She sees something in you she hasn't seen in a single other resident. And I've been listening to her complain about her little underlings since she got her first group of interns at Hopkins." He shuffled the cards in his hands. "Now, we're gonna play Jeopardy! The Surgical Edition and you're gonna relax, man. No point taking your boards just to die from an aneurism the next day." He grinned, letting out one giggle before schooling his features, "Damn, I haven't done this in  _years_. Let's see if I can remember how to pronounce everything…"

Twenty hours, two pitiful airplane meals, and one long nap later, the two men stretched careful in their seats as they waited for permission to deplane. Alex glanced at his watch, his knee a little jittery. "You've got like a two hour layover. You good if I help you to the gate? I want to grab a taxi to the hotel, get a shower and some sleep before everything starts rolling."

"Yeah, no problem man. Aunt Barbara should be meeting me at Sea-Tac." As the rows in front of them rose to leave, the two men grabbed their carry-ons and carefully stood in the cramped space allotted them, Alex carefully steadying Nick as he swayed, his knee rickety after the long flight.

Twenty minutes afterward, they stood by the gate for Nick's flight to Seattle, Alex shifting awkwardly over the balls of his feet. "If you're good, I'm outta here. Let Robbins know how your consult goes, okay?"

"Sure. I have to, otherwise I'm sure she'll fly in just to kill me," Nick joked.

Alex scrubbed a hand over his hair, his posture awkward with what he was about to say, "And don't be an ass to Torres. She was a mess with everything that happened. They both screwed up."

Nick narrowed his eyes slightly. "You and Altman coordinate your speeches? She said the same thing a couple days ago."

Alex shook his head, "Nah. But I'm not surprised she said something. Anyway, just do what Torres tells you to. She's the best for a reason. And good luck." He offered the other man his hand, and the two shook firmly before Alex hitched up his duffel and strode towards the airport exit.

X-X-X-X

A full year and a half after she was left in an airport, Callie Torres found a very interesting article posted to the bulletin board in the attendings lounge. Copied out of  _International Pediatrics Monthly_ was a short article about a new clinic in Malawi, funded by the Carter-Madison committee with help from the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières. Pictured were the staff, including three former (and future) Seattle Grace doctors. In the center back of the group photo was Arizona, flanked by Teddy and Alex. The article was excited in tone, praising the mix of international and local doctors revolutionizing pediatric medicine in the region, and offering a more sustainable model for areas the world over. Already there were plans to build a comparable hospital in rural South Dakota, for both children and adults, as well as in India and Brazil.

Callie heard Bailey shuffle into the room, "I didn't even know we got this journal at the hospital," she remarked off-handedly. A memory of her ex-girlfriend complaining about that very thing came to mind, of Arizona muttering about how it was expensive to subscribe to but she had to because the hospital didn't.

"We don't," Bailey replied. "The article's author gave us a copy of that edition. Speaking of, I admitted him, and he's going to start as your patient. Nick Peters. Needs a hip replacement. And a new knee. Yes he's young, but he was wounded in Iraq. Previous medical history is on a thumb drive, here." The shorter woman handed over a bright pink USB drive. Callie stared at it curiously, but took it. "I copied over the most relevant parts," Bailey continued, handing over a tablet with the file pulled up, "but you'll probably want to review the rest. He's in 1205, waiting for you."

X-X-X-X

Nick studied the woman in front of him. She was gorgeous – Flagstaff always had great taste in that way. She was also exhausted. Not the "I've been working for four days straight with barely a nap" kind of exhaustion he had seen enough times on his best friend's face during her med school, intern, and residency years. Or even the kind of beloved exhaustion a child produced. But the bone-deep weariness he'd recognized on Yuma's face the moment the happiness of seeing him had worn off. The weariness of losing the love of one's life.

He listened as she spoke about the basics of his operation, things Tempe had already outlined for him as that Karev guy chimed in with the specifics of Torres' methodology.

"So you have someone to help you post-op, right? Because I don't operate unless you have someone who can make sure you don't push yourself too hard by trying to do it all on your own right away. I have a lower recovery time, but it's still  _time_. Especially for the kind of intensive procedures you need considering the damage done to your joints."

"Yeah, yeah, my aunt's coming. Her flight was just delayed or she'd be here already."

"She's here right now," Barbara Robbins said as she rushed into the room, a bag over her arm and pulling a wheeled suitcase. "So sorry to be late, Nick, but you know the airlines." After bussing his cheek, she turned to Callie. "I'll be taking care of him, Callie."

Nick watched as Callie's face and words stuttered to a full stop, gaping at the woman she'd met once, briefly, while dating Barbara Robbins' only daughter.

Long moments passed while Callie obviously fought to regain control of herself. She shook herself visibly before she said, incredibly softly, "Of course Mrs Robbins. My instructions are pretty basic, and I have it all typed up for easy reference. And you'll have my number if there are any questions that come up. Are you staying in a hotel room, or? I mean, Nick will likely need at least some physical therapy given the extent of his condition…"

"I've rented a temporary apartment for us, as I'll be moving to Seattle soon enough anyway. It's basically furnished, so he'll have a comfortable bed, and the shower is a walk-in. Or in Nick's case, hobble in. And he'll need a shower chair, temporarily?"

"Yes, he will. His x-rays showed more extensive wear than was expected, so he'll be getting a knee replacement as well as soon as his hip is recovered enough. It's going to be a month-long process at the least, just between surgeries."

Barbara shook her head fondly at Nick, reassuring him, "I am well prepared to spend  _several_  months with my Nick, so don't think you need to push the operations close together for any reason." She ruffled his hair and he felt himself blush.

"Auntie…"

"Now none of that, Nicholas. I told you over  _five years_  ago to call me mom," Barbara scolded.

"The Colonel doesn't like…" Nick began.

"The Colonel has no say over either of us anymore. I'm done with his nonsense. My daughter, and you, are far more important than his sense of stubborn bullheadedness. It already cost me Timothy, and almost you, and it won't cost me Arizona. He should get served with my petition for divorce by the end of the week. Now. What else do we need to do for Nick, Callie?"

She gaped once more, as the woman her ex-girlfriend had described as intensely private shared such personal information in a hospital examination room with her daughter's ex. "There are exercises you can help with, and some of his dressings he'll need help changing. There are signs to watch out for in case of complication – that'll be on a handout I'll give you both. As he's getting two very important joints replaced, it will be a rough few months for the both of you if you add in physio time, but he's young and strong and, I can already tell, stubborn, so the big issue will be making sure he doesn't overtax himself and go too fast too soon. That'll likely be your job, I'm afraid. But basically, talk it over, come to me with any questions, and I'll see you at your next pre-op appointment. Okay, Nick?"

X-X-X-X

After finishing Nick's appointment, Callie left the room quickly, heading to the nearest nurse's station to get off her wobbly feet. She hadn't expected Nick. She had certainly never expected Barbara Robbins. As soon as she'd walked in the room, he'd struck her as familiar in a way she couldn't quite place. Barbara Robbins' appearance let her recall that she'd seen several pictures of her ex with both Nick and the late Timothy Robbins.

She felt sick to her stomach. She'd have to cut open and operate on someone so close to Arizona. On one hand she wondered if it was a conflict of interest to treat Nick – she was, even broken up for so long, too close to the patient's family. On the other she didn't want anyone else getting their hands on Nick, wanted instead to provide the best care for him.

A soft throat clearing distracted her from her roiling thoughts. Barbara Robbins stood alone before her, hands folded before her. "Callie," the older woman began gently, "I hope this wasn't an unpleasant surprise for you. I told Arizona this might be difficult for you, but she insisted you were the best surgeon for Nicholas."

"I am. I'll take good care of him, Mrs Robbins." She croaked out the words, knowing her voice was strained.

"I know you will, dear. I have no doubts as to your talents as a surgeon. Arizona would only send him to the very best." She cocked her head, studying the younger woman before her. Callie felt very small under her intense scrutiny, but Barbara's eyes were unfailingly kind. "I know my daughter hurt you deeply. And that it isn't my place to say anything. But I think you should know she hurt just as deeply. She said it was like cutting off a limb to walk away from you, but she couldn't let you come and destroy your relationship in a country where being gay is a crime. It was far too risky, to the both of you. And she wants you to be happy. She didn't think you could be, there."

Callie nodded, her chest tight. "Is she… Is she happy? There?" Two years later and the name Malawi had yet to pass her lips.

Barbara smiled sadly, "In some ways, yes. She is living dreams she didn't even know she had, and she's practicing the medicine she always wanted to. But I don't think it means as much as it would if you were there with her. She's still very in love with you, I think, though she's not said a word to me. Or to Nick."

"To her father?" Callie recalled that Arizona had craved her father's approval more than anything. Serving the world community so well must have made him proud, at least.

The older woman's expression soured immediately, and Callie felt guilty for her question, "They haven't spoken in nearly a year and a half, actually. And I'm leaving him because of it. But that's for Arizona to explain, not me. It's high time I put my daughter first, and my remaining son. I lost Timothy, but I won't lose either of them."

X-X-X-X

April settled in her chair. The Chief Resident's office wasn't much, just a desk, chair, couch, and minifridge crammed in a corner. But it was all hers. Thanks to Callie, anyway. Maybe she would have been made Chief Resident on her own, but it was thanks to Callie's help that she'd been a success at it. Especially with Jackson's misstep in how he had turned in Meredith for altering Shepherd's trial, and Alex having left for Malawi, the remainder of their year were either scalpel obsessed (Cristina) or desperately trying to rebuild their relationship (Meredith). With Callie's help, April had been able to really make the position her own over the past several months.

Groaning at the pile of paperwork in front of her, April closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead at the headache that had been growing all day. Closing her eyes was a mistake, though. The image that had been burned in her brain since the previous morning popped into her mind.

_As she scanned the paper and ate her cereal, April mentally went over her day. A surgery assisting Callie in the morning and one she was lead on in the afternoon._

_Tossed next to her on the breakfast bar were Lexie's phone and pager. Just as she heard the shower turn off, so went off her roommate's pager. "It's yours," she called out._

_The bathroom door was yanked open as Lexie stumbled out wrapped in a damp towel. "Shit, I hope it isn't that neuroblastoma guy," she muttered, wiping her hand against her thigh before grabbing at her pager. "Shit shit shit." Turning to implore her roommate, "April, can you call in for me, and tell them I'll be over as soon as I pull on some clothes? Please?"_

_April swallowed the mouthful of cereal that she had overchewed as her barely-covered friend stood next to her. "Sure, no problem," she croaked out._

_"Thanks, you're the best," Lexie smiled before dashing for her bedroom._

_April took a deep breath, picking up her phone to make the call, trying desperately to ignore the pounding of her heart and the pooling heat in her gut. Of course, she'd been trying to avoid the now over-apparent fact that she was physically attracted to her roommate for two years. If she didn't verbalize it, even silently, it wouldn't be true._

_Call made, she set her head on her crossed arms. Quietly, April moaned. Lexie was gorgeous. In a damp towel – a small, damp towel – April was able to see long, shapely legs, a flash of her hip as she moved, and exaggerated cleavage. All of it with drops of water flowing toward the floor. It wasn't that she hadn't seen Lexie in various stages of undress at various points since they'd lived together, but something about that tiny towel... April tried to step through the arousal. She was supposed to be straight. Lexie was a woman. They were roommates and friends, nothing more._

_The mental image of Lexie's ass as she bolted back to the bathroom to get ready came to mind. The overpowering desire she'd always avoided before – with a friend in college, with a lab partner in med school, with Reed before she was able to transform those feelings into platonic friendship – ran pell-mell through her. Finally – finally – at twenty-nine years of age, April Kepner let the thought percolate through her mind, "I'm more attracted to Lexie Grey in a towel than I've ever been to any of the handsome men I've seen naked between college parties and almost five years in a hospital – including that one underwear model on a Viagra overdose I saw when I was an intern. Maybe I'm not as straight as I want to be."_

The thought, the question she'd been avoiding for years, had been at the back of her mind for the past two days, even as Callie quizzed her for her boards during the surgery they'd done together that morning. She'd stayed in the pit when not scheduled the day before – Callie's day off – and tried to drown her worries in incoming ortho traumas which she was able to thanks to a series of MVAs that kept her in the OR late into the night. Without any outside distraction, though, it was able to overtake her brain. Obsessively, her mind conjured up every image, every occurrence, that she had suppressed over time. Every hormonal thought she'd had in the past fifteen years crowded her mind.

"No hip replacement should be that tricky," groused Callie as she let herself into April's office and sprawled on the couch. "He had a weird reaction to the anesthesia, and it almost screwed everything up." She noticed her protégé bent over her desk, "Hey, what's up?"

April flushed bright red, raising her head to look at a spot directly behind Callie's left shoulder. "Nothing! Why would you think anything's up?" Her voice rose in the way she knew grated on Callie's nerves, but she couldn't help it.

One expressive eyebrow rose. "Gee, I don't know."

She flushed even darker under her mentor's caring, inquisitive gaze. She groaned, slumping in her chair and shaking her head.

Callie studied her protégé. Over the past year and a half, she'd learned to read April. And come to care for her. She never would have gotten through her pregnancy without April's support on a day to day basis. With a sigh, she dragged herself up to close the office door and lock it. Sitting back down, she studied the woman before her. "Okay, we have a little privacy, so you can talk to me, you know. Are you freaking about your boards? Because you have those nailed. You'll do great."

April shook her head. "It's personal."

"Like you've never helped me with anything personal?" Callie drawled innocently. "You've held my hair back while I puked my way through second-trimester morning sickness, Kepner. You babysit my daughter."

April laughed lightly despite herself. She had done all those things, and would again. Callie had ended up being a fantastic mentor, and a good friend. And it wasn't like she hadn't dealt with the same struggle before April had even arrived at Seattle Grace. She shook her head. Of anyone in her life, Callie was the one person she could trust who would be able to help. The thought of talking to her mom, or her pastor back home, made her feel sick to her stomach.

"I umm... yesterday I realized I might..." April started. She trailed off, unable to say the words out loud yet. Tears started to track down her cheeks, and she shook her head, harshly rubbing at her eyes.

"April?" Callie leaned forward, concerned. Usually April over-shared with her, though not to the extent she herself did.

Gathering her courage, April spit out, "How did you know you were gay?"

Callie leaned back, slightly surprised April had managed to even ask. She'd noticed for awhile the completely unconscious way her protégé would sometimes check out an attractive woman. And the way her eyes sometimes followed Little Grey. But she didn't think the younger woman would ever confront those attractions.

"I didn't, really," she began, letting her mind drift back to that very confusing time in her life. "Addison pointed it out to me. I had this friend that I was close with and Addie actually thought we were a couple when she came to visit. So of course I freaked out when I realized we kind of were acting like one, and that I wanted us to  _be_  one. I wanted to kiss her." She shook her head, "We decided to try dating." Years later, she still regretted all the missteps she'd made with Erica. Maybe they could have stayed friends, if nothing else. They had been good friends, if not a good couple. "It didn't work out, I made a lot of mistakes, but I realized I could be with a woman, and enjoy it, and be happy." She peered at April, who was studying her keenly, "I'm not gay. I mean, I like men too, but it was still a pretty big thing for me. So maybe it's different from what you're going through. Maybe it's not."

April blushed again, bowing her head until her hair fell over her face. "I... I can't be gay. I mean, my parents, and my church..." she trailed off, thoughts of how cold Mr. Torres had been the last time he visited her mentor.

Laughing bitterly, Callie replied, "I know. You  _know_  I know. But God's bigger than a single church, April. And there are more kinds of family than just the kind you're born into.  _And_  they might surprise you. I thought my parents would accept me, and I was wrong. You think yours won't, and so maybe they will. But you don't have to tell them until – unless – you  _want_  to."

"I just... I'm not good at secrets," April shook her head.

"Then you're going to be very busy for awhile. As long as you need, I'll keep you here for the holidays, and you can avoid them via phone. You said your dad's a farmer? It's not like they can drop everything to come check up on you," Callie replied, shrugging. "Orthopedic surgery is an incredibly demanding field. It's not like there won't be plenty for you to do, once you're a fellow. Even before my parents disowned me, I hadn't been back to Miami since Christmas my intern year." She peered at April, "And you haven't been home in awhile, anyway."

"No, no I haven't," April sighed. "They think I should take a job at their local hospital, once I'm board certified. Come home, get married, have kids. My sisters already have three kids between them, and I'm not even the youngest. But I'm single."

"You're also incredibly successful in your field. I still say you need to write up that tibia repair you did last month. It was incredibly innovative, especially for an on-the-fly job. Maybe if they see that kind of professional success they'll back off a bit."

"Maybe…"

"And if you want a girlfriend, I'm sure we can find you one. Or if you want kids, there are options. I mean, I wouldn't suggest getting accidentally knocked up by a friend while drunk and depressed, but there's plenty of ways to become a mother. Which I think you want."

She laughed softly at Callie's jab at her own situation, "I do."

"And if Little Grey doesn't return your feelings, eventually you'll get over it and move on, I'm sure," Callie added, attempting to be casual.

April's face completely drained of color. If she had been standing, she would have fallen to the floor.

"April? April! Breathe! Dammit, Kepner, don't pass out on me," Callie rose from her seat, gently pushing April's chair backwards and manhandling her protégé so that April's head was between her knees.

"I can't…" she panted, "I can't."

"Yes. You can. I promise." Callie rubbed circles on her protégé's back, soothing her gently. "You be whoever you  _are_ , April Kepner. Not who anyone else wants you to be."

Callie sighed. April was headed down a difficult road. But she silently swore to be there for her protégé, and support her.

X-X-X-X

It wasn't rare for SGMW surgeons to be called to consult for other hospitals, especially the smaller, more local ones. For an entire team to be flown from Seattle to Boise was more uncommon. But two very small patients needed them and couldn't be easily transported to Seattle, so Derek, Mark, Cristina, Meredith, Lexie, and Stark boarded a small charter flight to Boise.

As Callie scrubbed out from a routine hip replacement, April barged into the room, visibly trying not to hyperventilate.

"Callie! They lost the plane!"

_tbc_ …


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I have only seen 'Flight' twice – both were before the season 9 premiere, and most of season 9 only upon airing. I'm relying on my spotty memory and tumblr gifsets so I don't have to rewatch "the season of romance." What Callie and Arizona content I am borrowing most heavily is adapted for others – a couple of scenes and a handful of lines; don't hate me but it just worked so damn well and they didn't need it. This chapter sort of speeds through, time-wise, season 9 and the beginning of season 10; expect time jumps. And it is very Seattle-focused, with minimal glimpses of Malawi. Lot of plot at SGMW to cover…
> 
> Dedication: This is for J, because she asked me a question that changed how I ended the chapter. Thank you for that, and the cheerleading. :-D

_The Woods, Day 1_

Lexie Grey came to screaming. Pain like she had never felt before tore through her left leg as her throat released an inhuman howl. Pulling herself up on her elbows as she heard Cristina stumble around calling for the others, she ripped open her scrub pants leg to stare at her shattered femur poking through her skin. She started to laugh, hysterically.

She felt a slap across her cheek and lifted her eyes to meet Cristina's terrified look. "My roommate's an orthopedic surgeon and I'm staring at my bone," she said hoarsely before the laughter bubbled out again, beyond her control.

_The Woods, Day 2_

Curled against her sister, Lexie whimpered as her leg throbbed. The pain was constant, and beyond anything else she'd experienced.

_The Woods, Day 3_

Watching her sister and Cristina pick bugs out of her steadily-worsening leg made Lexie mildly nauseous. Not that she particularly noticed the feeling under all the pain she was in.

_The Woods, Day 4_

The sound of a helicopter circling above them nudged at her delirium.

_Boise, Idaho_

The Boise hospital staff swarmed around the rescued doctors, as an administrator ushered the visiting SGMW staff to their colleagues. The head of the ER filled in Bailey, Callie, and Richard, who had rushed to Boise as soon as the news had come down the survivors had been spotted.

"Doctor Stark's remains are in our morgue. My condolences on his loss," the stern-faced woman began. "Doctor Sloan is in a coma. According to your colleagues, he became insensate midday yesterday and never came to. He also suffered a cardiac tamponade while in the woods, which was treated by his colleagues using scrounged materials; it was quite brilliant. Doctor Derek Shepherd has a severe injury to his hand which was treated with a stop-gap measure at the crash site. Doctor Meredith Grey has a minor wound to her thigh that we've treated. Doctor Cristina Yang had a dislocated shoulder. They're all suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and exposure. And Doctor Alexandra Grey suffered a severe open femur fracture that pierced her skin upon impact. The infection is extensive, and we strongly suggest amputation but she has so far refused consent, even at her sister's urging." She pulled back the curtain to show Lexie, barely lucid, and pale against the stark white hospital sheets.

"Take me home. You and April will figure out what to do," Lexie said softly, her voice muddled by the painkillers in her system. "Take me home, Callie. Please."

X-X-X-X

Callie made her way towards Lexie's room to check on her patient. The plan had been to combat the infection aggressively, and then to hopefully be able to rebuild her leg. So far, the antibiotics were working, but not as quickly as they hoped would signal leaving enough of her leg – and femur – behind to repair.

Entering the room, she found April visiting Lexie, regaling the bed-bound woman with Sofia's latest escapades while Meredith looked on with a stack of charts on her lap and a look of longing on her face as April described the toddler's antics. She and Derek had been approved as adoptive parents and were waiting for a placement, though the crash had temporarily paused the process as they recovered. Callie plastered a grin on her face; the results of the latest blood test weren't where she wanted them to be, and though April had quietly recused herself from treating her best friend, she was still invested in the outcome. So was Callie. Lexie was a friend – a good one, in fact – and she feared all her talents to build arms and legs 'like God' wouldn't pan out for someone she truly cared about.

Lexie, her face drawn and tired, turned at Callie's entrance. "What's up Doc?" she asked with a slight grin, her face falling as Callie didn't grin at the bad joke.

"Your stats aren't exactly where we want them, but they haven't gotten worse," Callie admitted softly, perching on the arm of April's chair. "So it'll be a bit longer before we can move onto the next step."

Lexie frowned, a few tears winding down her face as she began to hyperventilate. "I know what my options are, Callie. The longer we wait the more my vascularity diminishes, the more the nerves die, the more the muscle atrophies, and then there's only one option left. Do you think I didn't learn  _anything_  from living with an  _orthopedic surgeon_?"

Meredith moved to slide an arm around her sister, just as April at her other side to grab the hand without the IV.

"This isn't a setback," Callie replied, squeezing Lexie's right knee under the blankets. "We just have to adjust our plans a little."

Lexie shook her head, gulping air in as she sobbed. She cried herself out, her sister and two friends staying with her until she fell asleep. Together, Meredith and April adjusted her on the bed, tucking the thin hospital blanket around her and unconsciously, April smoothed her friend's hair back from her forehead.

Meredith frowned a little at April's unusual tenderness, glancing to Callie who subtly shook her head. Eyes widening, Meredith nodded. Gesturing out into the hallway, she led the three of them out of range of Lexie's hearing.

"If she doesn't keep the leg…" she began, hesitating.

Callie sunk into a chair at the nurses desk. "I've been calling the best of the best in the orthopedic world for consults. It all hinges on controlling the infection. If we can do that, she has a decent chance of keeping her leg. If she doesn't? It's lose the leg or lose her life. You know that as well as I do, Meredith."

The other woman nodded, exhausted from running between her sister and her husband, "I know you're doing the best you can, Callie."

"I just hope it's enough," Callie muttered. She looked up at April's drawn expression as her protégé squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "We just have to keep monitoring her infection as closely as possible. Maybe change out the medication for something more aggressive when she's able to handle it. We have to get to a point where she's strong enough to cope with treatment."

"She will," April said softly, "She has to. Or we'll never get her back. Not really."

Callie shook her head, "Have you gotten a call back from your father yet, Meredith?"

Grimacing, she shook her head, "He's disappeared again. And Molly won't take my calls. Thank god Lexie put me down as her next of kin."

X-X-X-X

Callie met April's eyes as Derek slipped under the anesthesia. They had planned and planned and teamed up with Meredith and her intern to get Derek's sister in town for the nerve donation. It was down to the two of them and a delicate, experimental procedure to hopefully return full function to the hand of one of the country's preeminent neurosurgeons.

Which was why when Bailey barged into the observation deck where Meredith sat, both of them froze just as Callie was about to make an incision. After Bailey spoke for a moment, Meredith jumped over to the intercom, all her surgeon's detachment disappearing as she said, "Lexie's crashing! Callie! Help!"

Bailey gently shoved Meredith over, and addressed the two surgeons below, "I've got my residents prepping her for the OR right now; it's the leg. Can one of you come, or should I do it?"

Callie could read the blooming panic in her protégé's eyes. "We trust you, Bailey," she called out. "I really need April here." She looked down, noticing the subtle shake in Kepner's usually rock-solid surgeon hands.

April gulped, nodding thankfully at her mentor. An amputation, no matter how horrific it was to the patient, was a fairly simple procedure for the doctor. A general surgeon could easily perform it, and Bailey was one of the best. But Callie knew April couldn't do that to Lexie, couldn't hold her scalpel against her best friend's skin and saw through her bone, even to save her life.

"As soon as she's in recovery I'll come back and let you know," Bailey promised before hurrying to scrub in. Meredith was visibly torn in the observation deck between staying with her husband or going to her sister. After a moment, they noticed her bolt out – Lexie's life more important than Derek's career.

Later, halfway through their procedure, they noticed Bailey was back, sitting in the gallery patiently waiting till they saw her. As they carefully froze what they were doing, she stepped to the intercom, "She's doing well, considering. Shortly after I removed the leg, she fully stabilized, comparatively speaking. Grey's monitoring, with a couple of interns. You did all you could, Torres, Kepner." With a firm nod to the pair of surgeons, she left.

An hour after that found the pair of them scrubbing out together. "Good work with Derek today, April," Callie said quietly, keeping a careful eye on her friend.

That was the only thing she was able to say before April started to sob. Finishing her own hand washing, Callie did April's for her, carefully scrubbing, rinsing, and drying hands and forearms that were uncontrollably shaking, before drawing the smaller woman into a hug. Fisting Callie's scrub top, April buried her face in Callie's shoulder, soaking the fabric with her tears.

X-X-X-X

A day later found an unlikely set of doctors huddled together outside a patient room. Lexie Grey, in shock at the loss of her leg despite Callie and April's best attempts, lay immobile in her bed, her eyes staring blankly towards the outside window. Callie, April, Meredith, and Bailey spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb her but needing to plan.

"She really only needs maybe two or three weeks in the hospital. And most of that is monitoring the infection and that the last of the pulmonary embolism is gone," Callie said. "I've already called a local firm that does handicapped adaptations to retrofit the bathroom and make some other changes around your apartment," she nodded to April. "I've got next Tuesday off and they're coming then so I can make sure they do everything right."

"Why can't she come home with me?" Meredith asked, almost plaintive.

"Because your house is even worse than our building for accessibility. The stairs are better for when the elevator's out, which is pretty rare anyway, and they're only on the second floor. You don't have a walk-in shower stall downstairs, Grey," Callie replied, understanding Meredith's reaction and trying to soothe the other surgeon. "Besides, you're in the middle of nowhere while her apartment is right across the street so we can all easily run over to check on her or help out during her recovery. You can crash on either their couch or mine if you want to stay overnight."

X-X-X-X

Between daycare, Callie herself, and help from both April and Bailey, Sofia was cared for during the busy, traumatic period after the plane crash, during which her father was pulled off life support as required by his advanced directives. Having been called as soon as news of the missing plane reached Seattle, Addison arrived with baby Henry on her hip and took to helping around the hospital, especially in the Peds and Neonatal departments which were floundering without even Stark to keep an eye on things.

Apartment 502 was crowded with two adults, a toddler, and a baby. Addison could have easily afforded a suite at the Archfield, but to help Callie adjust to being a single parent, she instead stayed on the very comfortable pull-out couch she'd bought her best friend a year and a half before, her son's bassinet in Sofia's room. A month after Mark's death, when her extended leave from Oceanside Wellness was up (the second in two years), she ordered Thai and sat down to dinner with her closest friend.

"They need a semi-permanent head of Peds," neither woman mentioned that this was until Arizona returned from Malawi in a year, "and then they'll shift me back to neonatal and give me the freedom to do some research I've been putting off because Oceanside simply doesn't have the resources and St Ambrose won't fund a non-employee. It's a good opportunity for me, Cal. Maybe leaving LA is just what I need. I mean, I  _like_  being here. I keep coming  _back_  to Seattle. Besides, I've already arranged to sell my share of Oceanside and buy 501 off of Derek. You'll have a new neighbor."

That Derek had ended up the executor of Mark's estate surprised no one. He'd grieved, deeply, but had also moved at a steady pace to deal with the apartment, car, and finances Mark had left behind, spending a long weekend overseeing the packing up of Mark's place – carting all of Sofia's things across the hall and helping Callie settle them into Sofia's room or the storage in the basement, because she didn't need two cribs, setting aside photos, heirlooms, mementos, trinkets, for Sofia to have in the future, and then either donating or selling the rest to then deposit the proceeds into a trust for Sofia and a lump sum for Sloan Riley.

"You really want to do this, Adds? Come back here? To Seattle Grace-Mercy Death?" Callie asked, staring at her friend. Having Addison back would be a godsend, but at what price?

"I do. I want to be closer to my goddaughter. And I want my son near his godmother," Addison replied, with a raised eyebrow at her friend.

"Let me know when you're unpacking. Sofia and I will be there to help," Callie said, gasping out the words as she crushed her best friend in a hug.

X-X-X-X

"I can't believe he's dead," Arizona murmured. She shook her head.

"Mer says that practically no one showed up at his funeral, either. Just Shepherd, her, Avery, Torres with Sofia, Kepner because she's too nice to skip, Webber, Addison, and that adult kid of his."

"Sloan Riley?" Teddy's eyes widened. "Really? She showed?"

Alex shrugged, "Yeah, guess so." He shoved food in his mouth, chewing noisily.

"Would have thought more people would have shown for his funeral, even if he was a jerk." Almost two years later, she was perhaps still a little bitter regarding the man who had knocked up her ex-girlfriend so soon after she left Seattle.

"Arizona…" Teddy remonstrated.

"I know, I know. But if you can't be honest about someone when they're not even around to be offended anymore, when can you?"

They sat around the kitchen table silently as each finished their meal, Zola already in bed since it had been a late day. Arizona got up and grabbed them another round of beers, popping the caps and setting them before her friends.

"Remember that time he suggested a threesome with Reed and me?" Teddy said as she poured a finger of scotch for herself.

Arizona let a disgusted look cross her face as Alex choked on his beer. "Ugh did you have to remind me of that?" she complained. "That's a mental image I didn't need then and certainly don't want now."

"I bet she would have done it too," Teddy mused. "Me, I have  _much_  higher standards for a threesome."

"No men allowed in mine," Arizona smirked, letting the alcohol dull her sense of propriety.

"Agreed," Teddy giggled, clicking her shotglass against Arizona's beer bottle. "Men always make it about them when they're with two girls. And two guys? If they're straight they spend the whole time worrying about accidentally touching the other guy."

"Sloan probably loved the idea of two women worshipping him. Wouldn't have liked it at all if they enjoyed each other more than him," Arizona added as Teddy descended into laughter.

Alex screwed his face up, shaking his head at the two women. "Gross. You two are gross."

"Not as gross as Mark. Ugh," Arizona pulled at her beer again, "He used to stare at my boobs. All the time. And Callie's ass. Not her boobs – she'd catch him doing that, but her ass."

"Sloan liked to remind everyone that they were getting his sloppy seconds," Alex remarked, after a moment of semi-drunken pondering.

Arizona and Teddy stared at him for a moment. "What?" Teddy spluttered.

"Look, he slept with Lexie before I was with her, and he liked to remind me of that. I know he said shit to Hahn, too, about Torres. And I  _know_  he shoved it in your face every chance he got. It's not so much jealousy, it's more like possession. It always creeped me out." He shrugged, turning back to his beer.

The two women stared at each other. "God, you're right," Arizona sighed, finishing off her beer.

He shrugged, "You were stuck dealing with him every day, Robbins. In your apartment, at the hospital. Whatever. I could watch from a distance and see how he was. Besides, I think he screwed like every straight nurse in Peds. Except the married ones."

"Guess he learned from his affair with Addison, at least a little," Arizona laughed, bitterly. "Wait until they've had a fight in an airport and then move in."

Teddy slid a hand over her best friend's clenched fist on the table. "You weren't married, Arizona," she said softly.

Aching blue eyes met hers, "Maybe we would have been, if I'd stayed, or she'd come here."

Sighing, Teddy replied, "If you'd stayed, you'd have resented her from keeping you from this. All the good you're doing. Lives you're saving. If she'd come, she would have resented you for dragging her across the world, away from her research and her home in Seattle. There was no way to make both of you happy about the Carter-Madison. Each of you would have had to give up something. Can you imagine not having Zola?"

A gasping sob made its way out of Arizona's chest as she shook her head forcefully. "I miss her, Teddy."

"I know you do. We'll be back in a little more than a year, Arizona."

"What if she loved Mark?"

Alex snorted as he rose to haul his tipsy mentor from her seat, "She barely tolerated him after he knocked her up. I wouldn't worry about it." He shuffled her over to the spare couch, settling her down and dragging a blanket over her. "You're too drunk to sleep in with Zola. Here's good enough. Night, boss." He cracked the bedroom door so that they could hear if Zola woke up from the couches, and moved to his own bedroom.

Teddy moved to kneel before Arizona, tugging off her shoes as the peds surgeon drifted off to sleep. "You're not my type, Teddy," slurred the shorter woman.

Laughing gently, she manhandled Arizona into a more comfortable position and readjusted the blanket. "I'll try not to take that as an insult. I know you like brunettes."

X-X-X-X

April sometimes paused to consider how her life ended up the way it did. She'd lucked into a fantastic mentor in a field she really enjoyed. Orthopedics required artistry and strength. Its trauma cases were incredibly fast-paced at times. She'd heard that Callie Torres once shouted at Chief Webber that she could "build arms out of nothing! And legs. Like God!" And it was true. She'd helped Callie build more limbs than she could count – limbs that other surgeons would have amputated, or had less than half the function if someone else had attempted repair. Under that tutelage, April was also building limbs like God.

Though they hadn't managed to rebuild Lexie's leg. Her friend was barely coping with the loss of her limb, letting either herself or Meredith wheel her across to weekly psychotherapy with Doctor Wyatt. It was helping, and April was incredibly thankful that Lexie was even willing to go.

Her mentor had helped her get into a two-bedroom unit across from the hospital – making her commute super-easy. Though she missed her family back in Ohio, she'd formed a new one in Seattle. And not the one she'd thought she might find in Meredith's frat house. Her family now was Callie – and Sofia – plus Lexie, and then Addison and her little Henry. She had somehow fallen in to be a favorite aunt to two little kids sorely lacking in extended family. She wondered at times how resentful her sisters' kids would be to learn that the really good Christmas and birthday presents went to Sofia and Henry, not to them.

She missed Jackson, sometimes, though. But not the Jackson she saw strutting the halls, formerly with Mark Sloan in his Plastic Posse, but rather the kinder, less arrogant version she'd known before the merger. The Jackson Avery who couldn't get into a top-tier residency program despite his surgical pedigree and had ended up at respected but not prestigious Mercy West. After Reed and Charles died, they'd kept together, the Mercy Westers who survived. But their fight over the whole Sloan-Torres debacle had ended that friendship. She still didn't think she was wrong, either. And now Jackson was alone. Being buddy-buddy with Mark Sloan hadn't endeared him to many people in the hospital, and the slew of one-night-stands he'd had, had further made his name mud with many of the staff.

April sighed as she finished her charting, setting the tablet back in its cradle.

"So, ladies, how would you like to stay in this weekend? There's definitely enough of me to go around." The voice was infinitely familiar, but the smarmy tone was certainly not one she'd ever thought to hear from her former best friend's mouth. Turning around, she zeroed in on Jackson sidling up to two nurses, both of whom were rolling their eyes.

"Jackson!" Eyes turned to her and she swallowed nervously. "Stop bothering them. Besides, we're  _at work_. Attempt to have a  _little_  professionalism, please?" Glaring, she waved him away as the nurses nodded at her appreciatively.

With a look as if he didn't recognize her at all, Jackson headed for the elevator.

X-X-X-X

Frustrated, Miranda Bailey headed to the nearest office. Quickly, she scanned in a few pieces of her patient's chart and emailed them to herself, checking her watch and mentally counting time zones. She pulled up FaceTime, for a change thankful that the obnoxious app was on her work tablet. A quick connect, and she looked at a harried Arizona Robbins. "What's up, Bailey?"

"I've got a case I just can't figure out. Do you have a moment to look at her chart?"

From the background, Bailey could hear crying. Arizona sighed. "Sure, send it to me. I just need to grab Zola. We have entered the Terrible Twos here."

Miranda pursed her lips. Little Tuck's twos had been livable, but during his threes, when his parents had divorced, he'd been just as bad as her sister's stories of her kids during their twos. "No problem, Robbins, you're doing me a favor." She forwarded the email as Arizona disappeared from view and then returned with a red-cheeked Zola.

As her daughter screamed in her arms, Arizona scanned through the email. "Okay, without an exam, I'd guess she has Lemierre's Disease."

"People still get that?" Miranda asked.

"Yup. But I'd do an I.J. ultrasound to be sure. And maybe an MRI."

Miranda sighed, the case had been stressful as she dealt with a sick child she couldn't figure out how to help. "Thank you, Arizona," she said softly.

"I told you before, Bailey, you're a peds surgeon," came back the tired smile. "I'll get you in my specialty if it's the last thing I do."

Bailey sighed, "You and Montgomery are both on my back about that. But Tucker's useless and I can't afford the extra babysitting I'd need in a fellowship. Hospital doesn't keep the daycare open enough."

Arizona chewed her lip. "Maybe someday we'll figure it out. You're a great general surgeon, but you'd be world-class in peds."

"If you can say the same about your boy Karev, I'm not sure how accurate you are in your assessment of my skills," she snarked back.

Laughing, Arizona nodded, "You haven't seen him lately. When we're back in the States and you see him work, you'll agree with me."

"He's always had a lot of potential."

"Yes, especially with you pushing him from the start," she grinned at the other surgeon who blushed at the compliment. Zola began flailing around along with the rest of her temper tantrum. "Let me know how your patient is, next email. I think I need to concentrate on my big girl here for a bit."

"Totally understand. Thanks again," Bailey waved at the screaming toddler in her friend's arms, "and it's good to see you too, Miss Zola, even if you aren't real happy right now." With a swipe of her finger, she closed out the app. Rising, she hustled to order the tests Arizona had recommended to confirm diagnosis.

X-X-X-X

Lexie Grey stood unsteadily, balanced carefully on her new prosthetic almost six months after a plane had fallen from the sky. David Moore stood behind her, eyes trained on her posture and balance.

A hunk of metal and plastic where her left leg had been a few short months before made her stare into the mirror.

"How's it feel?" David asked softly, as soon as she pulled herself out of her own head.

She frowned. Shifting her hands on the parallel bars, she tried to concentrate on anything besides the anger at not having a leg anymore. "It pinches, here," she said, pointing carefully.

"We can fix that," he murmured, jotting a note down.

The door opening behind them made Lexie stumble as she tried to turn. April stood in the doorway with Charlotte, who had been placed with Derek and Meredith only a few weeks before, holding her hand while Sofia was held against her hip. Two toddler backpacks were over one shoulder while her purse was on the other.

Lexie bit her lip, controlling the angry outburst at anyone seeing her so exposed – even her roommate, who had helped her get to the toilet in recent months. Instead, she glared, and could almost see April shrink back.

"I'm… I'm sorry. Meredith texted me that she and Callie got pulled into surgery, and the daycare was closing." April took a deep breath, resituating Sofia as she did so. "Do you want me to come back?"

"I'm just about done here," David offered softly. "I can get those adjustments for tomorrow, if that's all right."

Lexie nodded sharply, letting him remove the prosthetic and sock before she settled herself into her chair. Wheeling herself over, she let Charlotte climb into her lap before reaching her hands out for Sofia as well. The chair was crowded with two children and herself, but April needed her hands free to push. They would be faster getting home that way than limiting themselves to Charlotte's toddling pace. Her new niece, only three years old, was easily distracted.

The slightly odd little quartet made their way across the street. April sighed as she let them into the apartment, both little girls squirming down to the floor as soon as they were in the door. Though over a year apart in age, the two had quickly bonded as soon as Charlotte had been placed with Meredith and Derek. It was a good thing, as Meredith still spent much of her time at the apartment with them, helping Lexie recover and adapt. And hovering a bit too. April thought she had figured out the balance between helping and hovering – and paid attention enough to notice when that balance shifted – but Meredith definitely was hovering.

Lexie wheeled herself towards the kitchen area as Charlotte and Sofia pulled a few trucks from the toybox in the corner to play with. "Where's Derek?" she asked as she opened the fridge to stare at its contents.

"Skills lab, I think, with the interns," April shrugged. "Or maybe paperwork. Meredith didn't really say and the nurse hung up her phone when the patient's vitals went haywire."

"So we're feeding the kids dinner then."

"I assume so." The two roommates shared a fond grin before April moved to grab her apron.

Some days were better than others, for Lexie. Some nights were better than the days. And two little girls who would not remember her any differently didn't seem to care about her leg. They cared about her hugs and whether they could stay up a little later if they pouted at her just right. And that helped. April, who had never treated her as an invalid nor seemed to really treat her differently at all post-amputation, helped too. Biting her lip, Lexie glanced at her friend. Yes, April helped a lot.

X-X-X-X

Arizona settled Zola for a nap, then moved into the living area where she squeezed between her roommates on the couch. A laptop was placed on her knees and they connected with Miranda Bailey's skype account. A stranger popped up in view, fiddling with the camera, "Is it working? Can you see?"

"Yes, we can, thanks!" Teddy replied.

The stranger pulled back, grinning. "Okay, then. I'm Miranda's cousin Jeff. She asked me to set this up, and I'll be sitting nearby so if you have any issues with the connection, lemme know."

"Thanks, man," Karev grunted.

"Glad to do it. She wants you as here as you can be." Music started up behind him. "Sounds like things are about to begin, finally."

The three of them watched as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle. First was Addison, and then Callie, Meredith having gone to the hospital to free up Bailey to attend her own nuptials. Little Tuck almost skipped down to stand next to Ben, adorable in his little suit, and then the music changed for Miranda to process down the aisle.

Throughout it, Arizona tried to concentrate on her friend who was getting married. Bailey was a beautiful bride, beaming and happy even after all the delays the hospital had thrown in her way. All the bridesmaids were wearing similar shades of red, and knowing a bit of the gossipy backstory, Arizona was mildly amused that such different women had all united in their support of Miranda Bailey. Of course, she encouraged that kind of support, being the woman she was.

But even with how Bailey was glowing as she married Ben, Arizona's eyes wandered over uncontrollably to Callie, staring at her ex who was gorgeous in a blood-red dress. Callie was smiling, obviously happy for her friend but with an unfamiliar sadness in her eyes that was visible even through the webcam. Arizona ached at the sight.

As the ceremony ended and the bride and groom headed back down the aisle, Little Tuck actually skipping ahead of his mother and new stepfather, Arizona watched as both Addison and Callie moved to the front row of seats instead of processing with the happy couple. Both women picked up their children from where they'd been sitting between Lexie Grey in a wheelchair at the end of the row, and April Kepner on their other side. Also with the two women's children was Meredith and Derek's recently adopted daughter Charlotte, who stayed in her aunt Lexie's lap as April stood to push Lexie's chair to the reception. The younger Grey was wearing a prosthetic leg under her dress slacks, and had her cane, but looked exhausted despite her pleasure at Bailey's happiness – which explained the use of her chair. As the two bridesmaids carried their children with them down the aisle, and the other two women headed down the side to meet them in the back, Jeff appeared back in their view.

"Would you three like to come to the reception too? I can set this up at a side table, in case you'd like to congratulate Mandy, or catch up with your friends," he said into the webcam.

Arizona was struck mute at the idea of being able to see the reception, complete with Callie and little Sofia in the crowd. Teddy and Alex's eyes met over her head, rolling their eyes at each other. "That'd be great, Jeff," Teddy answered for them. "We'd love to."

"Okay, well I'll bring the computer along. Probably about ten-fifteen minutes before I see you again." With that, he reached out and closed the connection.

X-X-X-X

Callie cuddled her daughter close, April at her side pushing Lexie in her wheelchair and with three diaper bags slung over the back of the chair or her shoulder. Ahead of them, Addison rocked a fussy Henry in her arms as she opened the doors for them. One of Bailey's cousins, with a laptop case in hand, hurried ahead to help Addison with the heavy main doors.

"Thanks," Callie said to him. "I saw the laptop set up during the ceremony. Who couldn't make it?"

"Oh, some friends of Mandy's who are working in Africa, she said. Doctors from the hospital? She wanted them to be able to see since they couldn't come."

Callie almost tripped over her own feet as she realized who had watched the ceremony. "Cal, c'mon," Addison said gently. Regaining her footing, Callie nodded and started to walk again.

"Well I'll be setting up the webcam at the reception too, if you want to catch up with your friends," Jeff continued blithely as he headed off to his car.

"I'm sure we can avoid the computer, Cal," Addison said as soon as he was out of earshot. "Though if Altman's there I might ask for a quick consult. That idiot Hunt hired to replace her is useless and Yang hasn't seen the condition I'm dealing with before."

Callie nodded, feeling her daughter's warm weight calm her. "Hunt's made a lot of bad decisions the past couple years," she agreed, "I doubt that cardio guy's contract will be renewed so we just have to make due."

"Until Altman comes back, yes, but that's almost a year from now," Addison groused. "And since it's hard to hire someone for less than a year, and Robbins is contracted to return with her, along with Karev, the peds department will probably be understaffed until then."

"But when they come back, you'll have a world-renowned peds department headed by a Carter Madison winner, and Alex as her hand-picked fellow," April pointed out, purposefully turning her head to avoid Callie's heartsick glare.

Callie watched, Sofia dozing in her arms, as April spun Little Tuck in circles. Her protégé bopped around with the five year old, distracting him as Bailey and Ben shared a dance across the floor. The little boy adored April – much as Sofia and Henry did. Even little Charlotte had already fallen in love with April as Meredith spent every spare moment with her sister, bringing along her new daughter to the already toddler-proofed apartment.

Addison, who had headed off to the bathroom to change Henry, stopped at the open laptop where Alex, Arizona, and Teddy sat in a row, eating their dinner and chatting with the various people who stopped by occasionally to greet them via webcam. "Karev, Robbins," she nodded at them, "you mind terribly if I ask Altman for a quick consult?"

"No problem," Alex grunted at her, grinning. "You want us to leave?"

"No, no, you might be of use," Addison smiled at him. Her eyes slowly passed over Arizona, noting the lines of strain around blue eyes, and was reminded of Callie. She had only met Arizona once, worked with her for a couple of days, had liked the other surgeon professionally, but adored her for the smile she had brought to her friend's face. For two years, she had cursed the other woman for breaking Callie's heart, and hadn't stopped to realize Arizona might have shattered her own in the process.

With a jerk, she turned her attention to Teddy, who looked a great deal happier than the broken friend Callie described after her husband's death. Juggling her son into the crook of one arm, Addison opened up her phone's email app and pulled up the details of the case she was concerned about. "Teddy, I could use your advice, I have a neonatal case in which both the mother and baby have heart problems, and the guy Hunt hired to hold your place till your return is a useless twit. Do you have a moment?"

"Sure. Do you want to email me the details and we can skype tomorrow?" Teddy replied.

"That would be great, I'd appreciate the consult. I've called a couple of other specialists already, but I've yet to really figure out a plan to deal with both issues at once. You know how I work, I know how you work, I figure we could come up with a good plan, even if I don't have any of you in my OR with me," she grinned.

"Who  _do_  you have?" Robbins broke in softly.

"Just Lucy Fields at the moment. She's not bad, but I need great, honestly. And there's a very talented intern – Heather Brooks - that I've been trying to lure in, too bad she just doesn't have the necessary experience yet," Addison replied smoothly.

"If you really need a great second pair of hands, I have a friend at LA Children's that might be interested. He's been researching fetal heart defects for a few years. Dave's not well published, but you might want to talk to him," Arizona said softly. "I can forward on his contact info and I can let him know you want to talk to him."

Addison nodded, "I'd appreciate that. I've already got Yang ready to help once I have a plan to go in, for the mother, but it's the fetus that's a real challenge."

Teddy and Addison chatted for a brief moment, as Arizona tried not to look like she was attempting to peer around to see Callie. The two talking women's eyes met, and Addison's face quirked into a grin. "Well, I'll be expecting those emails, ladies, Alex. Good to see that you're well." She shifted Henry in her arms.

"He's beautiful, Addison," Teddy complimented. Arizona and Alex nodded in agreement.

"Thank you. I never knew I could be this happy and this exhausted at the same time," Addison grinned. All three of the doctors in Malawi broke into laughter, Alex elbowing Arizona lightly. Addie raised an eyebrow at their reaction.

"Of that I have no doubt," chortled Arizona, dimples appearing on her cheeks and a jaunty wink directed at the webcam. "He really is a handsome little man."

Addie smiled widely. "He is. But right now I'm going to find a quieter corner and let him nap for a bit. Talk to you later."

After she had walked away, the three doctors heard rustling from the bedroom. "Uh oh, sounds like we woke up Zola," Teddy drawled.

Arizona groaned lightly, handing her friend her plate as she stood up. "I'll be right back. We'll see if she'll settle."

Moving out towards her daughter's crib, she smiled softly at the squirming little girl inside, "What has you so upset, my big girl?" She rubbed circles on Zola's tummy, settling the unhappy toddler.

X-X-X-X

"Ugh, if I have to overhear one more conversation Jackson has about his perverted sex life, I'm going to scream," April muttered as she stood next to her mentor at the nurse's station.

Callie rolled her eyes, "How do you even manage to accidentally eavesdrop so often? And what was it this time?"

"I think it's my horrible luck," April grimaced, "And apparently he tried to get two of the interns in a threesome this weekend – I guess he ran out of nurses. Turns out they enjoyed each other's company more than his and left him… to, errr… deal with himself?" She squeaked a bit at the end of her recount, still mildly embarrassed by what she'd overheard, as it was told in far more vivid – and crude – terms.

Callie laughed, "God, he spent too much time with Mark. I ever tell you about the time he tried to talk Teddy and Reed into a threesome?"

April's face screwed up in disgust. "Really? That's… that's gross!"

"Well threesomes aren't necessarily bad. But when it's Mark Sloan or Jackson Avery? Yup."

April stared at her, eyebrow raised. Blushing, Callie babbled, "Okay, so I tried it once. In college. And it's just not for me. I prefer that kind of thing one-on-one. It's no big deal!"

Shaking her head, April returned her attention to the chart in front of her. For a moment, conversation lapsed, until Addison stormed up to them, trying not to laugh.

"Addie?"

Just Callie's simple query made her friend lose it. Addison brayed with laughter, bending over so that her head rested on the counter. The two ortho surgeons met each other's eyes and shook their heads. Minutes later, control regained, Addison lifted her head up and met Callie's eyes before descending into giggles.

"It's… this hospital is like a production of the Vagina Monologues. I just walked in on Brooks and Murphy going at it in an on-call room!"

Callie rolled her eyes, "They've been here for over six months and they have yet to learn to lock the doors? Interns…" She glared at her best friend, "And c'mon, it's not like this place is full of lesbians…"

"Nurse Tia and Nancy in Path are getting married next month. Meg in Derm and Noelle just had a baby. Murphy and Brooks." Addison gestured at April silently, the younger redhead glancing around nervously. "And then there's you, who started the trend with Erica. Oh! Did you see she just got an article published in  _The Journal of Cardiothoracics_? The one about that grafting technique she had just started researching before she left? Yang was reading it in the lounge."

Glaring, Callie stared her friend down, "I did not start a trend. I'm sure most of those women were already… sapphicly inclined before Erica and I… whatever. Sometimes you're a moron, Addie."

Jenna, the shift nurse, snorted from her seat where she was inputting data. All three surgeons turned to her. Sensing six eyes on her, she lifted her head and met their gazes, smirking. "Trust me, Doctor Torres did not  _start_  a trend. This hospital has been, ahem,  _trending_  for years. And heck, no one was surprised at you and Doctor Hahn. For awhile, quite a number of people thought you and Doctor Montgomery had just broken up and she was your rebound."

Addison and Callie's jaws dropped, both turning slightly red in the face, as April cracked up. As the two women stared and April howled, Heather Brooks sidled up to Addison, her face bright pink with embarrassment. "Doctor Montgomery? You needed something?"

X-X-X-X

As much of the hospital fell ill with a particularly nasty cold, Callie found herself overseeing the ER. As the shift changed, she grabbed a sandwich and soda from the cafeteria, her own shift a double to try to account for all the sick doctors. She was thankful Addison had already picked up Sofia, as well as Henry, and left for home. She didn't want her daughter in the germy hospital any more than necessary. Sofia was  _not_  a pleasant little girl when she was sick.

Meandering back to the main desk in the ER, she put down her meal and checked the schedule. She raised her eyebrow at the head nurse for the evening.

Barbara Robbins set her water bottle and coffee cup a few feet from Callie's food. "Good evening, Doctor Torres," she said, her voice full of a very familiar perk.

Callie stuttered, unsure exactly how to refer to the woman who had basically been her unofficial mother-in-law two years before. "Hello, Nurse Robbins," she said weakly, despite referring to most of the other nurses slightly more casually. She had avoided working with Barbara since she'd been hired a month before for just such a reason.

Tucking a lock of gray hair behind her ear, Barbara shook her head, "Please, it's Barbara, Doctor Torres."

Raising an eyebrow, Callie gave the other woman a shallow grin.

Barbara smiled widely, "We both know it'll be confusing enough when Arizona gets back here, having two Robbins from the same family in the hospital – we know how awkward it can be with two Doctor Greys. I'd rather be known as Nurse Barbara just to cut down on the confusion. Besides, it seems to be normal, for this hospital anyway."

Callie smiled back, unable to avoid the gesture. Being around the perk of a Robbins was something she had honestly missed, as conflicted as her feelings were. "I only worked at Mercy West for a little while, so I can't really say, but yeah."

"Oh I worked for one hospital, right before I was on maternity leave in fact, where everyone was just so rude. The doctors to the nurses, the nurses to the orderlies, the orderlies to the janitors, all the way on down. Horrible place. The doctors insisted on everyone using their titles, but despite my doctorate I was just "Barbie." I  _hate_  that nickname! I was actually glad when Daniel was re-assigned, even if it did mean packing the house while I was eight months pregnant with twins!"

Having dated Arizona for almost six months before even learning that she was a twin, Callie's eyes widened. Whereas her ex had dealt with the loss of her twin brother through silent mourning, Barbara Robbins, in the very limited exposure she'd had since the older woman moved to Seattle, seemed to mention having Arizona and Tim – as well as Nick – every chance she got. As if by mentioning Tim, she could keep his memory alive on her own.

Callie didn't get a chance to reply to Barbara's story, as she was called away for an incoming trauma. The majority of her shift passed in a blur of activity – multiple MVAs and even more people with the cold that had decimated the hospital staff stumbling in dehydrated, some having developed walking pneumonia. Ten minutes before her shift ended, she dropped into a free chair at the nurses' station to update charts, Barbara next to her inputting new patient records. A loud blast of music sounded from Barbara's scrubs pocket, and the older woman started before fumbling with her phone as Callie made out the refrain from Beyonce's "Single Ladies."

"I knew I shouldn't have let Nick program this damn thing," Barbara muttered.

"If you need to take a call, I've got things covered," Callie offered.

"No, no, he programmed that for incoming texts and pictures. The ringtone for a call is completely different," Barbara smiled as she opened up the texting app to find a picture of her smiling granddaughter with the new Duplo set she'd recently sent off in the post.

"She's adorable," Callie remarked casually, glancing over at her coworker's phone.

Barbara froze as she realized that Callie had no idea the identity of the girl she had just complimented. It wasn't her place to break the news, but she couldn't just feed Callie a lie by omission.

"Yes she is, I'm very luck to have her in my life," Barbara replied carefully.

Callie smiled, "Oh, did one of your nephews settle down?"

Taking a deep breath, Barbara shook her head and said gently, "Not yet. This is Zola. My granddaughter. Arizona adopted her."

She felt her heart pound at Barbara's words. She must have misheard. Arizona Robbins  _broke up with her_  over babies.

Her shock was interrupted by a half-asleep Meredith Grey whose shift had just started. As Callie grabbed her coffee to leave, she shook her head, staring at the picture on Barbara's phone as long as she could.

Callie wiped her face as she texted Addison from her friend's doorway. It was a simple system they used to avoid waking up Henry, who was a very light sleeper. The text was full of typos and auto-correct mistakes due to her vision blurring with tears that had started in the locker room and continued as she crossed the street towards her apartment.  _(It wasn't home, not without Arizona, but it was as close as she could get so for the past nearly three years she'd coped.)_

Addison opened the door, and took the sobbing woman into her arms.

X-X-X-X

The night the results of the lawsuit and the resultant rejection of payment by the hospital's insurance filtered through the staff, Callie collapsed onto her couch, wine glass in hand, "I'm sorry you came here just to go through all this crap, Addie."

"So Seattle Grace goes bankrupt. What next?" came the thoughtful reply.

"Either we get bought by one of those for-profit healthcare companies – Owen is supposedly bringing one in next week to evaluate if they want to buy – or they sell our equipment, lay off everyone, and the city loses one of only two general hospitals it has," Callie shrugged. The news had spread quickly that afternoon, after the lawsuit settlement and the insurance company's refusal to pay became gossip fodder.

"A med school friend of mine ended up at one of those bought-out hospitals. It was a horror show, she said," Addison took a long sip of her wine.

"I know. But what can we do? And really, I don't have much of a voice even with the crash survivors because I'm only standing in for Sofia's interests, via Mark's chunk of the settlement. I've just sort of followed Derek's lead on it all."

"What does Lexie say? Cristina?"

"Lexie passed all her decision making over to Meredith. She showed up at the courthouse and that's about it." Callie shook her head. "Cristina is still a bit of a mess."

"So we have a bunch of doctors with large chunks of money, and a hospital going out of business," Addie mused.

"If I could get them to do it, they could at least try to buy the hospital, but I doubt they could afford it," Callie said. "And I don't have enough say over Mark's share to try myself, even if I threw in my trust fund. Control of Sofia's trust is split between me and Derek."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I finally inherited from my mother's estate," Addison said thoughtfully. She swirled the wine in her glass, studying it. "It took awhile to separate everything out between Archer and I. Bizzy invested  _exceedingly_  well. Even with the downturn in real estate values, she made a killing. So did I when I finally sold my other houses."

"So?"

"My trust fund, my inheritance, your trust fund, and the money Derek, Meredith, Cristina, and Lexie were awarded, minus what needs to be set aside for their long-term medical care - especially for Lexie since prosthetics are expensive. Is that enough to buy a hospital?"

Callie stared at her friend. She knew Addison's family was well-off even compared to her own, but hadn't realized quite the extent. "We can ask?"

X-X-X-X

Callie sat in the large conference room in the front row of seats between April and Bailey, watching as the majority of Seattle Grace's doctors, as well as a few senior nurses, technicians, and orderlies, settled in for the all-staff meeting. It was being recorded and there would be a few smaller meetings with nurses, the rest of the doctors, and various other staff over the course of the next few days, primarily to provide a forum for questions and concerns.

Addison stepped up to the podium, smoothing her lab coat down as she tapped the mic. "Hello? Can you all hear me?" An affirmative murmur swept through the room. "Good. Well, I'm Doctor Addison Forbes Montgomery. Some of you know me, I'm the interim head of Pediatrics and Neonatal. I'm a double board certified OB/GYN and neonatal surgeon. As of this morning, the newly created Forbes Montgomery Foundation has purchased controlling shares in this hospital." Voices broke out, nurses and doctors shouting questions. Addison held up her hand, "I know it's been rough going recently, and I will have a question and answers session later, and I'll be putting anonymous suggestion and concern boxes around the hospital, but please listen first."

The noise level dropped sharply as people retook their seats. "As I said, the Forbes Montgomery Foundation has purchases the controlling share of this hospital. Others, including the doctors you see behind me, have also contributed to save this hospital from closure or a sale to outside parties." She gestured to Derek, Meredith, Cristina, and Richard, arrayed behind her.

"We will be, as soon as we can, giving everyone back the hours that were cut during our recent crisis period, and hiring back those who were laid off if at all possible. And, as a doctor-owned hospital, we will be able to make positive changes for patient care and to meet the needs of our staff. We haven't decided for sure on much. About the only thing we've agreed on since this morning when we signed the paperwork was eventually getting the daycare to run 24/7 and to be available for free to all staff. Obviously that'll take a bit of time to hire enough daycare personnel, but it is something we want running in the next couple of months." A pleased murmur ran through the crowd at that announcement. "I know you must be all very worried about what's going to happen. Besides returning us to our previous payroll hours and as close as possible to our previous scheduling as fast as possible, we are going to move forward with returning Seattle Grace-Mercy West to being  _the_ premiere hospital in the region."

"One final announcement before I take questions – and please, you know me, if you have a question ask, if you aren't up to talking to me personally send me an email, and I will be making anonymous suggestion boxes available as soon as I can find some boxes." Laughter ran through the crowd, the tension that had been prevalent for months starting to ease a bit. "Going forward, I will be Chief of Surgery. I know that's a bit of a change, and I will try to get interim heads of Neonatal and Peds in place as soon as possible. Those of you working in those departments, please bear with me and we'll get things settled as fast as we can.

Hands shot into the air, and Addison deftly fielded as many questions as she could. Half an hour later, her beeper sounded. "Okay, I'm sorry, I can't take any more questions right now, I have surgery in forty-five minutes. Please, email me, stop by my office starting tomorrow, talk to us. I know as a surgeon I've often felt the previous boards were fairly inaccessible unless they thought I'd mucked something up. I want that to change. But we  _are_  a hospital, so let's get back to the medicine!"

X-X-X-X

Leah Murphy appreciated the changes the hospital had undergone in the months since its buyout by several of the senior surgeons and the Forbes Montgomery Foundation. Staff hours were back to what they had been at the very beginning of her intern year. There were additional staff at the daycare, which made it easier for several of her teachers to occasionally stay late if an interesting case came in, and even the quality of the cafeteria food had gone up. Not that that was saying much – it was still hospital food. But Thursday's Surprise Casserole was no longer such a surprise to the gastrointestinal tract.

The downside to her current assigned resident was not the newly returned-to-work Lexie Grey's (understandable) change of focus from Neuro to Trauma during the near-year she was in recovery from the plane crash. During the latter portion of her recovery, especially once she had been fitted with a prosthetic, Lexie Grey had dedicated herself to studying Trauma textbooks, reading journal articles, and shadowing the ER once she was mobile enough. No, the downside was the quiet creak of a wheelchair pushed by her girlfriend shadowing them around the hospital, on the strict orders of Medusa. Catching Heather out of the corner of her eye, regularly, was distracting. The last time that had happened, her girlfriend had been shadowing her for the purpose of pulling her into an on-call room for a bit of a distraction, only for Chief Montgomery to walk in on them.

The wheelchair Heather was pushing squeaked again, drawing Dr Grey's attention. "What is that?" she snapped. Spotting Heather, she pointed at the shorter woman. "You! Whatever your name is! Why are you stalking me with chairs? I've seen you three times today!" Lexie's beeper went off, distracting her from haranguing the intern before her. "Crap. Emergency coming into the pit, let's go Murphy. You," she stared Heather down, "stay away from me with your chairs."

Paramedic Nicole rattled off information as she wheeled a bloody teenage girl in the doors, "Girl, fifteen, trampled by a horse."

"Page ortho, page peds," Lexie snapped.

"Don't bother to page peds, I'm right here," Bailey said from behind them as she hurried up.

Ten minutes later, Lexie, Leah, Bailey, and April were scrubbed in, operating on the various internal injuries and badly broken bones the girl had suffered. Leah watched with rapt attention as Lexie's hands flew steadily in the girl's abdominal cavity, basically reassembling the girl's internal organs alongside Bailey. Standing across from her, Leah watched, suctioning as ordered and keeping her hand steady on a clamp. To her left, April fired up a drill, preparing the first ex-fix for the girl's shattered legs.

Two hours passed before Leah was given the responsibility of the final sutures to close the girl's abdomen. As the girl was wheeled out to the ICU, Lexie nodded to April, "I'm gonna go talk to the parents. You want to come, Bailey?" The older woman nodded, as Lexie turned towards the door. Lexie took two steps, faltered, and tripped, nearly face-planting before she caught herself on her hands. Curling into herself, choked noises filled the OR.

"Everybody get out," April said authoritatively, nodding to Bailey. Leah and the others were frozen, watching a skilled surgeon break down on the floor. "I said get out!" April repeated herself, louder.

"You heard the woman. Everyone out," Bailey commanded, her firm voice able to scare anyone into action. "I've got the parents, don't worry," she added, her voice softening. She grabbed Leah's arm, escorting her from the room as the rest of the staff hustled out.

X-X-X-X

April approached her best friend carefully, kneeling on the floor. Once she heard the doors shut, leaving them alone together, she reached out a hand to Lexie's shoulder. The shaking woman turned into the touch, releasing the choked sounds that April could make out as  _laughter_.

"I was so proud of myself," came the soft words, "for making it through the day and this surgery, and I went and put all my weight on my left foot. I don't have a left foot anymore." Lexie peered up into April's face, her grin widening, "You should see your  _face_."

Blushing, April shook her head, "You're bad. You scared the intern, Lex."

"Her girlfriend was following me around with a wheelchair all day." April bit her lip. "It wasn't you, I know. Meredith?" April's blush darkened, unable to lie but also unwilling to sell out Meredith for caring about her sister. Lexie sighed, "I know she means well, but I know enough to sit down when I have to." Thinking of the times she'd hurt herself during the early days of walking on a prosthetic, she shrugged, "Well, now I do."

April leaned back from her friend. "You're really okay?"

Lexie waved a hand, "I'll have a bruise. What else is new?" Awkwardly moving her legs, she reached out towards April, "Help me up, will you?"

Well-practiced in assisting Lexie back on her foot, April hauled the taller woman's arm over her shoulder, levering them both off the floor. As Lexie got her balance, April slowly backed off. Before she could move fully away, Lexie drew the shorter woman into a hug.

"Thank you, April," Lexie murmured into auburn hair.

April felt her shoulders loosen as she practically melted into the embrace, though still careful not to upset her friend's balance. Being in the circle of Lexie's arms was heavenly. She'd stuttered through coming out to her best friend a few months before when Lexie had wheeled into her room to find her reading a lesbian romance novel she'd borrowed from Callie. But she had yet to confess her feelings to Lexie, not seeing the point of hurting herself and their friendship. She felt her friend pull back, and then there was the soft, chaste press of Lexie's lips to her cheek. Her breath stuttered, and she knew her friend could feel her heart begin to pound. Lexie simply smiled, one eyebrow raised, before throwing an arm around April's shoulders and gently tugging her towards the doors.

"I think we should celebrate tonight. Should we order Chinese or burritos?" Lexie asked.

"Chinese. That burrito place you like is sketchy," April said after a long moment, her voice coming out high and squeaky.

"Chinese it is. I want dumplings."

X-X-X-X

Twenty hours on a plane with an active child could never, ever be considered any variation of the word "fun." Including layovers and time in immigration, she, Zola, Alex, and Teddy were in-transit for over a day and a half. As the last plane made the final approach to Sea-Tac, Arizona split her attention between her cranky toddler and the gray skyline outside. She had loved her time in Malawi – for both the medicine and her daughter, and would never regret going, but it was certainly nice to be home.

_tbc_ …


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: All addresses mentioned are fake. According to Google Maps, none of them exist. If I erred, please assume they're all super fake and are not meant to resemble any real addresses, living or dead.

Arizona stumbled a bit under Zola's weight as she walked towards the airport entrance. To one side, Teddy struggled under the bulk of all their laptop bags and carryons, while behind them Alex pulled a cart piled high with their bags. The rest of their things they'd acquired during their years in Malawi were either in the process of being shipped or had been given away. As they exited Sea-Tac and stepped out into the cool of a Seattle November, all four of them shivered.

"Momma, 's cold here," Zola murmured sleepily.

"I know, big girl," Arizona replied, rubbing her daughter's arms gently. Glancing across the large parking area, she saw her mother hurrying over with a bulging shopping bag. "Alex, we'll stay here with the cart – go help my mom?"

"Sure," Alex grunted, jogging over to relieve Barbara Robbins of her load. He carefully pulled out one oversized sweatshirt from the bag and pulled it on before taking the bag and jogging back to them. "Your mom brought us sweats," he said, passing one to Teddy before taking the smallest and helping Arizona wrestle Zola into the thick garment before taking his goddaughter into his arms so Arizona could pull on her own. By the time all four of them were in the warm hoodies, Barbara had reached them.

"Oh I'm so sorry I was late. Traffic, and then finding a place to park was ridiculous," Barbara said as she stopped before Arizona. For a moment the two women stared at each other, before Barbara rushed forward to pull her daughter into a bear hug. Arizona fell into her mother's embrace gratefully. For a long moment they held on, until Alex was jostled by a passerby and cursed softly.

Arizona pulled back, shooting a glare at her protégé even as he half-heartedly mumbled an apology. She took her daughter back into her arms and settled the little girl on her hip. "Zola, you wanna meet your grandma?" Zola peered at the older woman she'd only met through pictures and Skype chats shyly as Barbara's eyes lit up in a way Arizona had never seen before.

X-X-X-X

The house Barbara and Nick shared was full of charm; 830 Stuart Avenue was a one-story ranch with two baths and four bedrooms – one for Barbara, one for Nick, a guest room/craft room, and the smallest set up as a child's. After a quick tour of the kitchen and living area, Barbara led her daughter and granddaughter directly to that last bedroom.

A simple wooden bunkbed was secured to one wall, with a matching small bureau, bookcase and child-sized desk completing the set.

"Mom, this is too much," Arizona murmured, studying the freshly painted walls and brand-new furniture.

Barbara Robbins shook off her daughter's protestations, "Arizona, this is just enough. Besides, Nick made everything in here."

Sighing, Arizona let her daughter's bag fall to the floor. "You bought the mattresses, the linens, the wood, the tools, I bet."

"Well my only grandchild has to have some place to stay when she visits," Barbara replied. "And he's been making a lot of things around the house."

Running a hand along the smooth grain of the wood, Arizona nodded, "I noticed. The bookshelves, the coffee table, the dining table, the end tables, the media center. He's been busy."

"Well he goes to physical therapy, he goes swimming at the Y, there's not much else for him to do while he's getting back his strength."

"His photography?" Arizona smiled involuntarily as Zola crawled all over the lower bunk and peered into every drawer of the bureau and desk.

"He's putting together a book, submitting to publications. But he's always been restless. Building things gives him something to do." She grabbed the suitcase and settled it on top of the bureau. "Now I'm sure you both could use a bath and then a nap. I'll get Zola's things settled in here, and you can either stay with her or share with Theodora. The couch is a pull out for Alex."

Knowing her mother was right, Arizona grabbed a clean set of pajamas for her daughter, "Hey, big girl, time for a bath and then we're gonna take a nap."

Half an hour later, she tucked a sleepy toddler into the lower bunk, and secured the half-railing that would keep her from rolling off onto the floor yet would also allow her the freedom to crawl out. Nick had outdone himself to make sure the bunks were safe for a small child. She could already hear the other bathroom's shower going for the second time – in the space it'd taken her to get just Zola cleaned up and dressed, both her friends had rid themselves of their travel grime. Turning around, she found her own bags stacked in a corner and dug through them for clean clothes.

The next morning Arizona was exceedingly thankful for the strong railing that kept her from rolling off the top bunk. Her daughter was gone, the sheets on the lower bunk made up haphazardly, "like a big girl!" Zola kept insisting as soon as she'd started pulling up the blankets of her bed in imitation of her mother's morning habit. Stumbling into the hall bath, Arizona used the toilet, brushed her teeth, and washed her face before following the smell of her mother's breakfast to the kitchen. The sight that met her was beyond precious. Manning the bacon pan, Alex had an apron tied over his shorts and A-shirt while Teddy flipped through the newspaper and Nick stared at the gurgling coffee machine. And her daughter was perched carefully on a wooden chair at the island, overseeing Barbara pouring a ladle full of batter into a hot waffle iron.

"So we close it up, and flip it, and ninety seconds later we get a waffle," Barbara said.

Zola stared, fascinated, at the digital countdown on the front of the waffle iron. They'd had pancakes in Malawi – they were something of a specialty of Teddy's, in fact – but they'd never had a waffle iron. As the iron beeped, Barbara flipped it back upright, opened it, and used a fork to carefully get the waffle onto a plate.

"I hope you're hungry!" she said, holding out a hand for Zola to balance against as she hopped down onto the floor. "Chef Karev, how's the bacon going?"

"Cooked, but a couple more minutes for crispy," he said, settling a few pieces onto a paper towel-covered plate.

Barbara settled her granddaughter down at the table with her waffle, bacon, and real maple syrup. Cutting the food into bit-sized pieces, she let Zola dig in. Grabbing the first cup of coffee from underneath Nick's half-asleep nose, Arizona slipped into the seat next to her daughter and stole the Classified section from Teddy.

X-X-X-X

April stood at the stove scrambling eggs and carefully watching her mentor tend to Sofia. There was a visible line of tension in the older woman's shoulders. According to a conversation Callie had inadvertently overheard between Bailey and Addison, the doctors who'd been in Malawi landed the day before in Seattle. Karev, Teddy, and Arizona were back, though they wouldn't start at the hospital for almost a month. Since then, Callie had wavered between snappish, teary-eyed, and absent-mindedly distant. April shrugged her behavior off – it was not unlike how Callie had acted when she was pregnant.

There was a certain feeling of change in the air, at least to April's perception. She'd watched her mentor struggle for the past three years. Especially in the last year, as Callie adapted to being a single parent, April had watched her mentor hold up under the pressure. Not that Callie's bravado didn't ever fail. She'd seen the brokenness under the front, ached for her mentor's battered heart.

Before Doctor Robbins left for Africa, April could admit she'd been a bit enamored with how happy Callie and Arizona had been. It was refreshing, especially compared to the hookup culture that ran rampant through the hospital, and in addition they reminded her of younger versions of the mothers of her college roommate – a couple that had been together for over two decades by the time she'd met them.

April served some eggs onto a plastic Disney Princess plate and handed it over to Callie to present to her daughter. As Sofia fed herself, April passed a fuller plate over, nudging her mentor to eat. A brittle smile was her thanks, and April turned off the stove as she set a plate aside for Lexie. Once the pan was in the sink, she sat down with her own breakfast.

"Would you like me to take Sof tonight?" she asked softly as Callie picked at her food.

"What?" came the distracted response.

She reached out a hand to touch Callie's arm, getting more of her mentor's fractured attention, "Would you like me to take Sof for tonight? I saw your laundry pile yesterday. You could get that done? Have some time to yourself?"

A relieved expression crossed Callie's face, the exhaustion visibly ringing her eyes. "Thank you," was the soft response.

"Get some laundry done, have a glass of wine,  _go to bed early_ ," April replied, smiling. "Don't wear yourself out before I have to get you to read my conference paper."

Callie laughed hoarsely, shaking her head. "I don't think I've had a good night's sleep for three years, April. Hasn't stopped me from making sure you're an ortho rockstar."

Finishing her breakfast, April rose to wash up, and nodded, "True. But a night of sleep uninterrupted by Miss Terrible Twos over there can only help."

X-X-X-X

"I saw an ad for this in the paper," Alex said as he pulled up in front of a sprawling, older home with multiple front doors only a few blocks away. He'd dragged his two friends from Barbara Robbins' house as soon as they were dressed, and left Sofia in Nick's care while he shuffled Arizona into the car.

"Why are we here, Karev?" Arizona asked, half-curled around a travel mug full of hot coffee.

"We haven't talked about where we're living. I don't think we're staying with your mom forever," he replied, grinning a little as Arizona shuddered at the idea.

"I am a grown woman. With a successful career and a child. I do not have to live with my mother."

"We're  _all_  successful doctors, Robbins. Which means we can easily afford this place. I could even afford it on my own, but why bother when I'd just be at your house for dinner anyway?"

"I  _can_  cook!" Arizona objected, huffing.

"You can. But do you want to eat what you cook?" came the snarky reply.

Teddy slapped both of them lightly across the back of their heads. "Shush, children. Do we get to go in?" she asked curiously, peering out the car window. "Or did you just bring us here to stare at it in the dawn's early light?"

"Real estate agent's meeting us in about ten minutes," Alex replied, pulling a scrap of newsprint out of his pocket. "It's a multifamily, completely empty now, four units – the 'owner occupancy' one is four bedrooms two baths, there's a two bedroom, a one bedroom, and above the garage an oversized studio."

Arizona immediately followed his train of thought. "So we all stay together, but we have privacy, separation."

Alex nodded, "And we have a rental unit for some extra cash. I'm fine with the studio. We can get a couple of interns in easy for the two bedroom." Teddy and Arizona looked at each other, confused, each thinking they only needed the four bedroom. Alex smirked at them, "C'mon, Robbins takes the four bedroom – her room, Zola, guest room any of us can stuff a guest into, and an office or storage or whatever. Altman takes the one bedroom. That leaves the two bedroom to rent to a couple of quiet interns who will barely be here at all anyway. The next generation of Yang. It's perfect. I know we're all used to cramming into one apartment, but we don't need to anymore."

Arizona shook her head, "You're right. Space. God, what the hell will we do with space?"

At that, Teddy laughed loudly. "I don't know how I'll fall asleep when I can't hear Karev's snoring through the wall!"

The three turned in their seats to meet each other's eyes and it was decided – if not this multifamily house, another would do. But they wanted this one – already Arizona could see them using what must have been the owner's unit's large screened-in porch, and there was a hint of spacious backyard behind the garage.

When the realtor arrived, their faces were stone, eyes open and searching. The owner's unit was move-in ready, with a bit of painting. The kitchen was in need of updating at some point but otherwise perfectly functional. The two-bedroom unit was required more work – floors needed refinishing, walls painting, bathroom and kitchen hideously outdated. The one bedroom was decent. Everything needed fixing in the studio.

But there was potential.

X-X-X-X

Callie had known it was coming for awhile – first Bailey had received an email, and then Addison had confirmed the news. All three of Seattle Grace's prodigal surgeons would be back; she had the warning a month in advance and had been jittery ever since.

She talked about it with her therapist, mulled over it while washing the dishes and doing laundry, even considered talking to Addison.

She was expecting the anger – she had been left in an airport, after all. A fight that had shattered every dream and hope she'd dared to have, of that big house with a yard, with dogs (and chickens) and  _their_ ten children running around. So the anger rose in her throat, thick and raw and powerful.

She was expecting the grief, the sadness – Arizona wasn't  _hers_ anymore. She couldn't just go up and hug her, or kiss her, or grab her hand like they'd done so naturally before. Couldn't find refuge in their embrace, or come home to find the blonde in  _their_  bed after a long shift. Couldn't curl around the other woman in her sleep. Arizona would be close enough to touch, finally, after so long, but untouchable. The grief clogged in her chest, sitting on her breastbone like a demon in the night.

She was even expecting the arousal, the need, the want. Except for a couple of unsatisfying drunken fucks with Mark, which had led to their friendship collapsing and their daughter, she hadn't been with anyone since Arizona. And there was no comparison. No one had  _ever_  touched her like Arizona Robbins did. She had survived for three years with her hand and a vibrator – a dry spell record since she first started having sex, but as a parent and a busy attending she just didn't have the time or energy, or honestly the desire to find a quick fumble or attempt a relationship with a stranger. All she wanted was that glorious creamy skin beneath her, under her hands and lips and tongue, to re-map every freckle with her surgeon's precision. She ached, and at night her dreams were memories of their lovemaking when they weren't nightmares of the fight in Sea-Tac. She woke most mornings with either her face or her panties damp.

So Callie expected the wide range of conflicting emotions. Was almost waiting for them as she walked into work after her day off, on Arizona's second day back. She'd heard the buzz from the nurses, residents, and interns all day – that Arizona, Karev, and Teddy were back, were seen doing such and so thing, looked tanned and healthy, seemed enthusiastic and happy (Arizona and Teddy), or still gruff but a fantastic teacher to the residents (Karev). The residents who had never met any of the three were cautious but curious, wanting to experience these "new" attendings for themselves.

When she caught sight of Arizona down the hall, just walking and talking, leading a small group of interns and residents like the Pied Piper, she froze. Completely. After three years she didn't think the first words she'd hear out of Arizona's mouth would have to do with bowel obstructions. She had carefully  _not_  let herself dream about the moment of their reconnection, had buried every part of herself that desperately wanted to forget the past had happened and sweep the peds surgeon into her arms and demand another chance at their future. But even with that lack of dreaming, she still didn't expect what she got. Which was her own awkward lurch to hide behind a linen cart.

"Doctor Torres? Are you okay?"

The unexpected question startled her and she gave a soft shriek, "Oh my god, Murphy, I think I died a little."

The younger woman frowned, confused, "Is everything alright?"

Callie took a deep breath, aware that her outburst had attracted attention from the group of surgeons down the hall, "Everything's fine, thanks." She waved at the resident, "Go, I'm sure you have some work to do."

With a single raised eyebrow, Leah nodded and headed towards the elevator. That left Callie with an unobstructed view of her ex, who immediately looked down at the tablet in her hands. She mirrored Arizona, studying the chart displayed in front of her. Checking the room number of the patient she wanted to look in on, she groaned. Arizona was obviously rounding on every patient in her ward, which would include the boy Callie had just operated on that morning. Shaking herself, she clutched her tablet close and did her best nonchalant stroll into the patient room already crowded with Arizona, the residents, her patient, and his family.

"Ethan Goldberg, fourteen, severe scaphoid fracture of the right wrist requiring surgery," Arizona read off. She smiled brightly, meeting the young man's eyes. "Rollerblading or a skateboard?"

"Skateboard," answered Ethan's mother, shaking her head. "Down a flight of stairs. Which we specifically told him  _not_ to do in the rain."

"C'mon, mom, everyone has to ollie stairs," groaned the boy in the bed, his wrist in a surgical brace on top of all the scrapes littering his arms, legs, and face. "And we're in Seattle. There's always rain!"

"You're lucky you didn't break your jaw or get a concussion with the way you landed," Callie offered from the doorway. "Has plastics been around to double check your abrasions yet?"

Ethan and his mother shook their heads as Arizona frowned, studying her tablet. "I'll light a fire under someone. You should heal just fine no matter what, but they might have some extra suggestions to minimize scarring, given how deep some of those scrapes are and how you're prone to keloids," she said, tapping out a consult for plastics.

Callie moved forward, stepping carefully around Arizona, to check Ethan's incision. "I want to get another x-ray before we send you home, but as of now it looks good. You have to stay off your board the whole time it's healing, okay? You don't want to ruin all my hard work," she said to him after a minute, winking exaggeratedly. He blushed, and she grinned at him. "And maybe take up something a little safer, save your mom a heart attack in the future. Aren't kids today supposed to be attached to their Xboxses?"

He laughed, his mother groaning. "We told him to get a more active hobby than his DS," she said.

Callie smirked even as she struggled to ignore the subtle but overwhelming presence at her back. "Maybe jogging? Mini golf?"

"I'll think about it, doc," Ethan replied, a wide smile across his face.

"Okay, well let the rest of the doctors here get a good look at my awesome incision on your wrist and we'll call it a day," Callie said. She patted the one spot on his leg that wasn't covered in gauze and moved back against the wall, letting the eager group of interns and slightly more experienced residents get a good look at the tiny incision she'd made to fix his scaphoid.

"We'll see you later then, Ethan. Let the nurse know if your pain level changes," Arizona instructed, fixing him with a look. "Don't be a tough guy. You had surgery and it's going to hurt."

As the group of doctors left, Callie followed. The residents clustered together, wandering off while Arizona lagged behind and only a few feet ahead of Callie. She stopped abruptly in the hall, spinning around with an unfathomably sad expression on her face. "Calliope," she started, just as a loud beep sounded from Callie's pocket.

"They need me in the ER," Callie said quickly as she read the page, and bolted for the stairs. Being in the same room as Arizona was hard enough; she wasn't sure she'd make it through the day if they had a non-work-related conversation. So she ran.

X-X-X-X

Callie looked up from her scattered thoughts to see Teddy scrubbing in next to her.

"What have we got?" asked the tall blond.

"Crush injuries, badly fractured ribcage, Bailey's coming to work on the perforated liver but I'm worried about where the x-rays show some of the bone fragments around the heart. Oh, and his leg's a  _mess_."

"Okay. Any other scans done?"

"No time. He's in a lot of distress. We'll find out more when we open him up."

The OR was quiet except for requests directed at the nurses and simple information relayed between the surgeons, a gaggle of new interns watching them carefully as Leah Murphy, first at his gurney when it was wheeled off the ambulance, held retractors for Teddy who was fishing bone fragments out of the patient's chest cavity while Stephanie Edwards provided suction to the young man's leg where Callie was working. The newest intern class hovered outside the surgical field, watching raptly.

An hour later found Callie and Teddy the last surgeons in the scrub room, side by side at the sink.

"How's Sofia?" Teddy asked softly.

Callie flexed her fingers, and started to scrub harder, "It's okay. You don't have to pretend you care."

Teddy bowed her head, her hands frozen, "I get it. You're mad. I went and lived on your ex's couch for two years. I'm sorry."

Her breath blew forcefully, "It's not that. She's your person."

"That doesn't mean you aren't my friend, too, Callie. I know I got a little… distant."

Callie laughed bitterly, "Because you didn't want to tell me all about the new life she was building without me. Her career, her  _family_. I understand."

Teddy turned off the faucet and grabbed paper towels. "You know, a little over three years ago, I could totally see Arizona as a mom. I figured a year or so down the line the two of you would start the most ridiculously picture-perfect family. Everything I wanted with Marie, or Henry. And didn't get because they died. But Callie, Arizona is  _alive_. She is here,  _in Seattle_ , at this hospital, when she could have taken any of a dozen job offers. But she didn't, because her plan has  _always_  been to come back here.  _To where you are._  When Addison and the others bought the hospital she was terrified that her previous contract would be voided. I'm fairly certain she cried herself to sleep, in relief, when she got the rewritten version from the new Board." Teddy disposed of the used towel and put her hands on her hips. "You have had three years apart. Both your lives have changed drastically. But I know you, and I know her. And I don't think either of you will be really, truly happy until you're back together. And you're both idiots if you don't realize that." She reached out a hand tentatively and patted Callie's shoulder. "You never know when it ends up being too late. I lost Marie on a Tuesday during a double shift. When she died, I was busy in an OR patching up a kid that was in an MVA on the way to school that morning. And I lost Henry on a Thursday night. Just random days. Don't wait for your Tuesday or Thursday to take her away for good. At this hospital, that could be far too soon, thanks to crashes and shooters and whatever the hell else rains down on us." With a last squeeze of her friend's shoulder, she was gone, leaving Callie alone in the scrub room.

X-X-X-X

Callie sighed as she stepped under the hot spray of her shower later that night. Sofia was in the midst of a particularly bad bout of her terrible twos. Lexie had had a bad day – the dark mood spreading to April after Lexie had raged at her roommate, best friend, and former doctor for the lack of her leg. On top of the normal stressors of her life, she'd seen her ex for the first time in three years and gotten a gentle talking to from her ex's best friend. She didn't blame Teddy. The woman had always wanted the best for her and Arizona. But three years was a long gap and hard to bridge.

The hot water was a balm. It sluiced over her warm skin as she tarried under the showerhead. Setting both palms against the cool tile, she bowed her head under the spray and closed her eyes. She could almost feel the slick warmth of another person's skin against her back, and thin deft fingers sliding from her breasts downwards.

Three years ago, she could have expected company in the shower. It had been one of their favorite things, to share the warm, steam-filled cubicle. If a scrub turned into a caress, that hadn't been uncommon. They'd been late for a shift more than once because of a passionate bout of shower sex. Callie breathed out, deeply. She'd imagined Arizona back in her life, her arms, her bed more than once since that fight in Sea-Tac. Now that Arizona was actually in Seattle again, she didn't know how to react.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N2: Yes, Barbara and Nick live in the canon!Calzona house.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some lines & situations taken directly from the show, others slightly adapted. If you hate Leah Murphy you'll probably hate much of this chapter. Tough shit because I love her. Also I'm messing with the timelines a bit here, condensing some of seasons 10 and 11 because I want to and I can.

Alex arrived in the ER to take in the chaos off on one side. The screaming of an older woman in labor mixed with the furious shouting of a rather large man moving towards the woman laying on a gurney. A tiny dark-haired doctor appeared, followed a few steps behind by security guards. As the man approached, she hip-checked him into the nearby wall, then clipped him at the shins with her foot. He roared, but the security guards grabbed him, dragging him off towards where a few police officers were making their way into the ER at a hurried pace.

Grinning, he checked in with the nurse's station, "I was paged? No details, though."

Nurse Tia glanced up as she plugged in her patient's stats, pointing, "Screaming lady for you. Doc's here concentrating on the mother but they're worried the baby's in distress."

He groaned, pregnant women were not his favorite type of patient at all. A hundred cranky toddlers needing their appendixes removed were better. Jogging over, he introduced himself to his fellow doctor. "Alex Karev, Peds. What do you need me to do?"

She glanced up at him as he towered over her, "Emma Marling, maternal-fetal specialist. Jenny Albrecht here is in premature labor with twins, and her blood pressure's up a good bit higher than I'd like." She lowered her voice as the woman screamed yet again, filling him in on the specifics of the case. "Addison's on her way," she continued at a more normal voice as she punched the button for the OR floor, soothing Jenny gently as she did, "But I need another pair of hands for Twin 2. Read up," she passed him a tablet detailing the case.

Two hours later, scrubbing out, Alex grinned. He'd delivered a lot of babies in Malawi, but it was always a good feeling when he helped an infant pull through a complex delivery. Jenny Albrecht's twins would be fine after some time in the NICU. He turned to his fellow surgeon, "Sweet hip check on the guy yelling at her, by the way."

Emma smirked at him, "Division I ice hockey. He's lucky I didn't have my stick in hand."

Alex laughed, shaking his hands before drying them and pointing at his own chest. "Nice. Division I wrestling."

"Ahhh… Well good work in there, Doctor Karev. You're one of the ones just back from Malawi, right? The Peds Fellow?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Have you met Robbins or Altman yet?"

"No, not yet. Robbins is the Carter-Madison winner?"

Alex nodded again, "Altman is cardio, but she sort of semi-specialized in pediatric cardio while she was in Malawi."

"It'll be nice to have your team's abilities to draw on. We've been scrambling without a peds department head since I've been here."

His pager sounded off, "Ah, my consult's here. See you around."

Emma grinned as he headed towards the elevator.

X-X-X-X

Callie felt her emotions roil in her gut. Anger, loneliness, frustration, resentment, love, it all churned into a chaotic mess within her. If her ex didn't stop giving her sad puppy eyes every time they were near one another, she couldn't promise what her reaction would be.

Dragging her feet, she entered the attendings locker room, intent on changing, picking up her daughter from daycare, and going home. With luck, Sofia would go down easily and she could have a glass of wine afterwards. Maybe more than one glass of wine.

The locker room was empty but for one of the showers. Sighing, Callie trudged to her locker, stripping off her scrub top and long-sleeved tee. In just her bra, she dug for the shirt she'd worn that morning in the mess her locker had become over the course of her overlong day.

Behind her, the shower taps went quiet, then the inhabitant of the stall could be heard drying off and the whisper of clothing. Callie grabbed her shirt and pulled it on just as the soft slap of bare feet entering the locker room proper sounded, accompanied by a soft exhalation of surprise.

Callie turned, hands on her hips, unconcerned until she saw who had padded out of the shower area. Hair damp and tangled, braless in a t-shirt and jeans, Arizona dumped her filthy scrubs into the nearest hamper before sighing. Callie couldn't help but stare. Freshly-washed Arizona was one of her favorite sights in the world, with drops of water sliding down pale cheeks and the neck of her shirt damp as her nipples poked at thin cotton in the cool locker room. It was a glorious view she had been denied for over three years. With a start, Callie shook herself even as she felt her cheeks warm. Turning back to her locker, she dug around for her jeans as Arizona's eyes bore into the back of her head. Kicking off her work sneakers, she shimmied out of her scrub pants, silently wishing she'd worn better underwear that day even as she cursed herself for the thought. The soft breathing behind her got heavy as she pulled on her jeans and sat down to fasten her boots. Once both her feet were clad in black leather she stood and twirled around, making sure her eyes didn't drop below Arizona's chin. "Stop staring," she snapped, letting the anger out. "You don't get to look at me like that."

Arizona squared her shoulders, "Like what?"

Angry, Callie pointed a finger at the other woman, "Like  _that_ , Arizona. You're three years too late for the contrite act, so stop it."

Blue eyes narrowed as Arizona stepped forward, "If you think I regret going to Malawi, you're out of your mind."

A hoarse, bitter laugh made its way out of Callie's throat. "Of course you don't regret it. Of course. I should have known better than that, huh? So stop fucking staring at me like I kicked your puppy. You got what you wanted."

"What I wanted was  _you_ , in Malawi,  _with me_! But I didn't get  _that_ , now did I?" Stalking up to her ex, she dumped her small shower tote on the bench and drew in a breath to continue. But that breath brought with it the scent of Callie herself – the harsh antiseptic of the hospital that clung to everything and everyone within its walls, the smell of sweat and soap, the faintest hint of the organic hand lotion she had gotten her ex to switch to shortly after they started dating. The anger bled out of her; her shoulders slumped. "I don't think either of us got everything we wanted, Calliope."

Callie watched as Arizona seemed to deflate before her very eyes and yet felt a shiver of pleasure at hearing her full name. Having the other woman so close physically, yet emotionally so distant broke her heart once more. She couldn't resist, and reached out with one hand to cup Arizona's cheek. "No, I don't think we did," she replied softly, letting herself meet Arizona's eyes fully. Her ex seemed like she was about to shrug off the soft touch, and Callie couldn't let that happen. Not yet.

She surged forward, Arizona's body sandwiched between hers and the wall. Feeling no resistance, Callie pressed their lips together, the contact almost chaste. Until Arizona moaned and slid her hands down Callie's sides, dragging their hips firmly into one another. Then it was all lips, tongue, teeth, and wandering hands. Callie slid her knee between Arizona's legs, the position eminently familiar and wonderful. She hadn't touched Arizona in three years but it felt like nothing had changed. It was still everything she had ever wanted.

A hand made its way under her shirt, skin pressing into skin, and they both froze. They broke apart, panting, unable to meet one another's eyes. It was too much, beautifully and wonderfully overwhelming.

Callie stepped back unsteadily, her hands clutching at her sides. A long moment passed, and then she shoved her arms into her jacket and grabbed her purse, practically running from the locker room. Arizona slid down the wall until she was curled up on the floor, and cried.

X-X-X-X

Addison sighed, "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Bernice. I wish I had heard about this sooner."

The human resources director shrugged, "It's seen as fairly acceptable behavior in the hospital, despite policy to the contrary. You're the first Chief to actually discipline a doctor for sexual harassment, when you formally reprimanded Myers last year."

Addison frowned, "I adore Richard, but he was absolutely ineffective about this, and for the love of God, Derek and Hunt both  _married_  residents."

The other woman shook her head, "We aren't known for our progressive policy, and we're certainly known for almost never enforcing it."

"Alright, well, I'll deal with this and get back to you with the paperwork as soon as I can." She shuffled the forms in front of her. "What disappoints me the most is that Brooks' girlfriend went to you, instead of her and Brooks coming to me directly," she muttered. "Do I not seem approachable? I mean, I know I'm busy, but I grabbed Brooks as an intern. She knows me."

Bernice shifted in her seat. "You are, as a surgeon. As the Chief, this is a matter of hospital culture as a whole that we need to change. I have tried before, but all I got was lip service to the idea of enforcing harassment policy and protecting those who engage in fraternization." She took a breath, "And hospital gossip still ties you to Doctor Sloan, whose behavior should have had him fired repeatedly."

"Okay." Running a hand through thick red hair, Addison gave her subordinate a wry grin, "Please tell me all the i's are dotted and t's crossed, because I'm going to have to suspend Harper Avery's grandson and I fully expect Catherine Avery to land on me like a ton of bricks as soon as she hears."

X-X-X-X

Leah Murphy had not expected the kind of drama she found in her residency at Seattle Grace. A seething pot of sex, plane crashes, and the more mundane types of disasters seemed to regularly befall the doctors – and patients – of her hospital. The nurses were more gossipy than her all-girls prep school classmates. She'd already heard about the scandalous beginnings of McDreamy and Medusa's relationship. About 007 getting hit by a bus a day before leaving for the Army. About the shooting. About Dr Torres and Dr Kepner's car accident. About the plane crash that killed the late unlamented Dr Stark, the scandalous Dr Sloan, and taken the leg of Lexie Grey. Oh yes, Seattle Grace's nurses were very gossipy. And the higher-up residents also liked to talk, a lot.

Leah figured if the sexcapades were so widespread in the hospital, no one really would pay attention to her and Heather. And overall, they hadn't. Together for six months by the time Dr Robbins, Dr Altman, and Dr Karev came back from Malawi, Leah had gotten used to watching the various social blowouts impact the hospital. She'd even gotten used to the high level of drama Seattle Grace seemed to generate.

What she hadn't adapted to was Dr Avery's low-level but fairly regular passes, directed at both herself and Heather. Hospital gossip being what it was, she knew he was aware of their actual monogamous relationship – no matter how awkwardly they got together, no matter the circumstances of which Jackson was  _well_  aware – they were a couple. And besides, she'd turned him down  _three times_  by telling him she was involved and clearly uninterested. Heather had told him the same thing at least four times that she'd mentioned. Frustrated, she'd gone to Human Resources, and an email had been sent to all staff just that morning that directed everyone to reread the hospital's sexual harassment policy. Gossip buzzing around said Dr Avery had been suspended which was probably true, given that his name had been taken off the surgical board before she even got in to work. She frowned; she'd actually been assigned to his service for the past week and the other plastic surgeons had yet to divvy up Avery's surgeries that couldn't wait for him to return.

"Murphy!" Leah twirled around, coming face to face with Dr Montgomery. "I know you were on Avery's service this week. Why don't you spend it with Little Grey in the ER? She could use the help. We'll get you back to Plastics for a bit later on." The older woman stepped forward, lowering her voice, "And thank you, for coming forward. It takes a lot of strength to do that, especially in this hospital." She stepped back, accepting a tablet Heather held out for her and sighing. "Brooks, take a minute and get us some coffee on your way back from walking Murphy to the ER, would you? We'll need it to get through today." She nodded at the two younger women and walked off.

Heather grinned up at her, bumping their elbows together affectionately. "Hey."

Leah smiled back, her expression softening. Her girlfriend's happy face was always enough to lift her spirits.

Two days later, however, Leah felt sick. Sick was, perhaps, putting it gently. After throwing up in her mouth during surgery, she'd stumbled after scrubbing out, leaning heavily on her IV pole, towards the locker room. Barely managing to change from her scrubs – and really she gave up after dragging on jeans and her boots, leaving the sweat-soaked scrub shirt on – she moved slowly towards her car across the parking lot, finally reaching it only to collapse against its reassuring solidity. As she fumbled with her keys, blackness came over her vision and she fell to the ground, sprawled on the asphalt.

X-X-X-X

Thankful that Nick was able to keep Zola home as a vicious flu bug ravaged the hospital staff, daycare regulars, and a seeming never-ending stream of patients, Arizona groaned as her superpowers activated, warning of her own exposure to the illness going around. She texted her surrogate brother, asking if he could keep Zola for the next day or more so she wouldn't pass on the bug to her own daughter.

_Nick: No prob. Text me when you're better._

_Arizona: Will do. Thanks._

_Nick: Hey, you can't take care of lil Zo with your head in a toilet. Mom's off tom. – we'll go 2 the museum._

_Arizona: She'll love that._

_Nick: Lil Zo or mom? ;-)_

_Arizona: Yes. :-D_

Laughing even as she felt some bile rise in the back of her throat, Arizona slid her jacket on and headed for the staff parking lot. She was nearly at her vehicle when she noticed a random IV pole next to a car. Grumbling, she moved to drag it back into the hospital when she noticed it was attached to a very unconscious resident.

Within minutes Arizona had called the ER desk and had them send out a gurney. With the help of an orderly and the new head of Trauma, Dr Pierce, they lifted Murphy up and got her tucked into a trauma room.

"They let this woman be a  _doctor_  today?" Pierce marveled, even as she glanced over worriedly at Arizona who was leaning unsteadily against Murphy's bed.

Groaning, Leah came to. "What?"

"You passed out next to your car, Murphy," Arizona said, fighting back a wave of nausea.

"And you're not  _quite_  bad off enough to warrant admitting," Maggie sighed. "Do you have anyone that can take care of you?"

"Is Brooks free?" Arizona asked.

Leah shook her head and then groaned as the movement worsened her pounding headache. "She's got that twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome surgery with Montgomery this afternoon. She's been so excited. Please don't bother her. Just put me in an on-call room."

Arizona sighed. It was an uncommon surgery and something a second-year resident rarely got to witness. "She can come home with me."

"And who exactly is going to take care of  _you_?" Maggie asked, eyebrow raised.

Teddy appeared in the doorway, already changed out of scrubs. "I am, apparently. I got your text. Who else am I babysitting?"

Leah carefully raised her hand from the bed.

Teddy looked back and forth between the two standing women. "I'm borrowing a wheelchair, just so you know," she remarked to Pierce.

"That's probably a good idea. I'll get you some banana bags. About the only smart decision Murphy's made today was hooking herself up. She's pretty dehydrated," the head of trauma stalked off, shaking her head at stubborn surgeons.

"You should probably find a bucket too," Arizona said shakily.

Teddy sighed and grabbed the nearest wastebasket, shoving it in her friend's arms just in time.

X-X-X-X

Lexie sighed as she watched Pierce and a shaky Robbins do a workup on Murphy. The younger woman had been working cases in the ER for a few days off and on until she got pulled away by Meredith and Richard that afternoon. Lexie shook her head, she should have noticed the illness that had been creeping up on the resident; the two were somewhat friendly. Then again, half the hospital was in various stages of dying from the bug going around.

It wasn't just Murphy being sick. It was the new head of Trauma. Maggie Pierce was a year older than her and already a head of department. According to Meredith, she had come, at least partially, to Seattle to learn about her birth mother Ellis Grey. She'd found instead her birth father and a half-sister. The situation was tense; Meredith completely flabbergasted to  _again_  be confronted with a biological relative she hadn't a clue about. Lexie didn't know how to feel either. Her sister's sister was basically her boss.

April sidled up next to her, standing perhaps a hair's breath too close. Lexie didn't seem to notice, relaxing unconsciously as she leaned even further into their own little bubble. "How are you doing?" came the quiet inquiry.

"I'm fine. Though with Robbins and Murphy down for the count…" Lexie trailed off. She was tired, and reaching the end of her endurance.

"I need to eat something before I collapse, and you need to get off your leg," April murmured. "I have your favorite dumplings on the way and you can have them all if you'll sit down with me in the lounge for a bit."

Lexie nodded, checking in awkwardly with Pierce, who shooed her off to eat and rest. Halfway to their favorite lounge, her leg buckled under her. April was there immediately, one strong arm around her waist and the other balancing them against the wall.

"Thanks," Lexie mumbled, thankful for the support even as she hated needing it.

"No problem, buddy," April replied, grinning brightly as she tried to ignore the tingles running up and down her side wherever they touched.

X-X-X-X

"You want some breakfast?" Arizona asked, shivering in the chill of an open window. Her stomach was rumbling if still testy, and her mouth tasted like something had died in it. She sniffed and the faint trace of vomit lingered in her room, underneath the early November chill. Someone must have opened the window to air things out.

"You don't have to do this," Leah said, embarrassed by how weak she felt as well as slightly mortified by being in unfamiliar clothes in her boss's bed. She was fairly certain this might be skirting a line that the hospital had been trying to firm up, but she was too sick to really remember all the new rules HR had put in place. At least this time she was in a superior's bed, it wasn't Jackson Avery and she was dressed.

Teddy appeared in the doorway, dressed for work. "Good, you're both awake. Murphy,  _lay down_." Leah turned beet red and slipped back under the covers. "Your fever broke about 2am, but you'd soaked through the sheets and I dragged the mattress onto the back porch to air, which is why you're here and in different clothes." She turned to Arizona, "You haven't puked since one, but you're pretty dehydrated. Try to drink today or I'm hooking you up with an IV like your bedmate here." She checked her watch, "I have a bypass in an hour. I'll call to check in. I texted Brooks from your phone, Murphy, and she said she'd stop by when she was off shift. You two are to stay in bed unless you need the bathroom, and bring your phones," she gestured to each bedside table where their cells were plugged in and charging, "in case of emergency. Try not to go alone, okay? I know this is awkward, but I have to get in to the hospital, and you two shouldn't be on your own. Doctor's orders. I'll be right back with some drinks and crackers." By the time she got back from the kitchen, a tray full of beverages – ginger ale, electrolyte drinks, water, juice – and saltines in hand, the two sick doctors were already asleep. She settled it on Arizona's side of the bed and used her hand to check both their fevers before leaving for the day. She hoped they'd sleep it off, given enough time and fluids.

X-X-X-X

Two days later, Callie watched with curiosity as an unexpected group made their way into the hospital. A pale and sweaty Brooks was sandwiched between Arizona and Leah Murphy, both of whom looked only slightly less sick as they held the small woman up. Pierce met them as they entered the ER from the parking lot. She crept closer to listen in.

"I don't want either one of you in here. You should be home in bed and how the hell is Brooks even upright?" Pierce demanded.

Arizona shook her head, "I'm just picking up some paperwork before heading back home. And I need you to look at Brooks. She got the worst of both mine and Leah's symptoms and while her fever isn't as bad as it was yesterday, she can't keep anything down. I don't have the right medications, not that she can take, and we're out of banana bags. I'm going to talk to the Chief, let her know all three of us will be out for a bit longer."

Maggie nodded, "Okay, I'll do a workup on  _both_  of these two, just to be safe. When you're done, come down and find us. We should check on you as well. I'll send you home with enough fluids to hydrate a Texan football team. And your mom brought your daughter to daycare a little while ago, if you want to see her."

Arizona sighed, eyes a little teary, "No, I'm probably still contagious so I'm not risking it. I talked to her this morning, she's fine having a bit of a vacation with her grandma."

Leah spoke up, voice scratchy, "At least walk by the daycare and take a look, Arizona. You've been moping." Brooks nodded carefully, the slight motion turning her a bit green. Callie was close enough to leap forward with a basin, the sick woman clutching it as she heaved fruitlessly.

Leah pulled Heather close, and addressed Maggie, "She's really sensitive to anti-emetics. None of the over-the-counter drugs she can even take have worked. If it's not already in her file here I've got the list she gave me of her sensitivities and allergies."

"Alright, let's see what we can do," Maggie replied, gently pressing Brooks into a nearby wheelchair. "Arizona, when you're done, I'm going to want to do a full workup."

"That's fine. I shouldn't be long." Arizona started off towards the Chief's office before Callie tagged after and interrupted her.

"Addie's in surgery this morning. Leave a message on her voicemail and I'll make sure she's checked it if I see her at lunch."

A wan smile was Arizona's reply, "Thanks, Callie. I'm going to sneak up to my office for some budget paperwork I need and make sure Alex hasn't let the department run amuck."

"I was up there earlier. He's a little ragged with you being out but fine otherwise," Callie said softly.

She sighed, nodding, "He stopped by last night with some groceries for us." At Callie's cocked eyebrow, she continued, "Leah and Heather are staying with me right now. They're both too sick to be on their own. Teddy, Alex, and my mom have been checking on all of us."

Callie's grimace was not unexpected but still funny, "That sucks."

Arizona shook her head, too sick to enjoy having a civil conversation with her ex, especially after the way their encounter in the locker room had gone, "Not really. They're becoming friends. Of a sort." She swayed on her feet a little.

"You shouldn't overexert yourself, Arizona," Callie reached out to grab the other woman, steadying her as she ushered her into the elevator and smacked the button for the peds floor. "I'm coming with you. Don't touch anything or you'll end up being the outbreak monkey."

Arizona grinned as her own words from years ago were thrown in her face, "What about you?"

"I'll disinfect myself when you're headed back home with your resident entourage," Callie shrugged.

tbc…


End file.
